Well Folks, We’re In Rough Shape…

[xubrew]

That’s it. That’s the post.

[GoMuskies]

Lol. But you couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about.

[American X]

But we have a neat-o fishnet ranking and strong quads or something, right?

[whopper]

this was incredible after the Providence game..I think this SHU team is better than PC. We are in real trouble..St Johns? Georgetown? Nobody saw this coming a month are (maybe some did). The sad thing is that the least of our problem is Nate Johnson as Kunkel has played better in many respects.

[OTRMUSKIE]

Providence apparently is highly overrated. I mean they beat us twice and we were still ahead of them. X isn't in trouble! X is done! Nate Johnson not playing has hurt us so bad. We now have to win 3 in a row to make the dance. I'm pretty sure GTown is going to get their first win against us. Wish the season was over. Good news is Miller is only 3 games away baby!!!!

[xuphan]

Providence apparently is highly overrated. I mean they beat us twice and we were still ahead of them. X isn't in trouble! X is done! Nate Johnson not playing has hurt us so bad. We now have to win 3 in a row to make the dance. I'm pretty sure GTown is going to get their first win against us. Wish the season was over. Good news is Miller is only 3 games away baby!!!!

You have information that we don’t about Miller? I think there is more of a chance that Steele gets an extension than Miller coming here.

[OTRMUSKIE]

What is our biggest weakness? Shooting 3's right? So we deciding to start driving to the basket and we looked great because of it. Then our idiotic coach says" we need to shoot more 3's. No you moron, we suck at them!!!! You are so clueless. I feel so bad for the players. I'm sorry they had to be coached by this imbecile. Take your money, hot wife and get the Blyad out of Cincinnati. Don't know what Blyad means? Ask that bad ass Ukrainian.

[OTRMUSKIE]

I apologize for being an idiot as well. Free did make 3 3's but he still shouldn't be shooting them.

[Strange Brew]

You have information that we don’t about Miller? I think there is more of a chance that Steele gets an extension than Miller coming here.

Thank you Steele's FIL on the BoT.

[HenryMuto]

Jesus can't win a game at home now. After that great performance at Providence I thought this team turned the corner.

Today has sucked bad for me all my teams lost.

[whopper]

my daughter and fiance are season tix holder(class 2019 and 12) and she is almost in tears. Was a good player and making some points about staying in front of players, stopping drives, etc. Kunkel has played well for Nate Johnson so that is one problem but not a huge problem although we need him back. I think that our players are limited athletically so are easy to scout and we don't have a plan b. When you see Rhoden, Jackson, Champagne and other they are bucket getters which we don't have. Odom is the only one who can stop a drive. This is confounding and I am praying for some kind of turnaround but don't know where it will come from.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

This team is going to lose and keep losing until things are shaken up. It’s too much to hope for a firing now but there is no way he is kept after this. We need some kind of decent splash hire who knows what he is doing and it a new up and comer.

[coasterville95]

Second half highlight - the student section chanting “Fire Steele!” Or the fight in section 106/108 late in the second half requiring two cops and an usher.


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[drudy23]

Second half highlight - the student section chanting “Fire Steele!” Or the fight in section 106/108 late in the second half requiring two cops and an usher.


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Damn, I left before that - would have loved to see Steele and player's reactions.

[MHettel]

You have information that we don’t about Miller? I think there is more of a chance that Steele gets an extension than Miller coming here.

I'd offer Steele an extension. And here is how it would look.

Add 2 years to his current deal at the SAME salary. Give him some incentives if he advances into the NCAA Tourney. Of course the deal will have a buyout, but structure it so the buyout amount decreases relative to our Big East Record. If we continue to play like crap in the conference, then buying him out comes cheaper.

Offer this, and let him react. He can take it, and accept the high risk and high reward nature of it. Or he can reject it, knowing that he will struggle to recruit if he has less than 4 years on his deal. So, rejecting it isnt REALLY a great option, casue he's a lame duck. But XU MUST BE WILLING to let him coach under this lame duck status. Because that gives us leverage in a negotiated buyout situation. If he leaves it needs to be mutual. He needs to know he can't succeed (which if he just watched some games, he would already know), and we need a cheap(er) OUT situation.

[MHettel]

my daughter and fiance are season tix holder(class 2019 and 12) and she is almost in tears.

Respect Yo! Your Fiancé is 7 years older than your daughter? Or was that 1912?

[MHettel]

Respect Yo! Your Fiancé is 7 years older than your daughter? Or was that 1912?

Or is your fiancee 12? CONFUSED!

[xuwillie]

Or is your fiancee 12? CONFUSED!

I'm more intrigued about that post then I have been about X basketball in 4 years

[whopper]

Respect Yo! Your Fiancé is 7 years older than your daughter? Or was that 1912?
she is X class of 19 and he is class of 12 X. They are doing well as a Nurse at UC hosp and he is in a successful business. Another daughter is class of 17/18 (occ ther) and husband is 17 also.. They are all doing well, both home owners. I am 66 and will be moving to Kenwood to an aprartment(dumping Conn house) with wife and hope to sub teacher there. My heart breaks for the X men...we cant do anything right now and it is distressing to me(and her)..at least i know what disappointment is..she is despondent. I saw look on Nunge face and they all know they are not getting it done. I really dont believe that "DeCoursey" stuff (hope it is true). We love Xavier and Cincinatti so are mentally invested in seeing success for X. This chat room is my outlet.

[whopper]

Respect Yo! Your Fiancé is 7 years older than your daughter? Or was that 1912?
It is HER fiance to clarify..i am married 36 years. she is X class of 19 and he is class of 12 X. They are doing well as a Nurse at UC hosp and he is in a successful business. Another daughter is class of 17/18 (occ ther) and husband is 17 also.. They are all doing well, both home owners. I am 66 and will be moving to Kenwood to an aprartment(dumping Conn house) with wife and hope to sub teacher there. My heart breaks for the X men...we cant do anything right now and it is distressing to me(and her)..at least i know what disappointment is..she is despondent. I saw look on Nunge face and they all know they are not getting it done. I really dont believe that "DeCoursey" stuff (hope it is true). We love Xavier and Cincinatti so are mentally invested in seeing success for X. This chat room is my outlet and living in Conn i am so into it that it hurts.

[bjf123]

We love Xavier and Cincinatti so are mentally invested in seeing success for X. It’s spelled Cincinnati. [emoji16]


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[xudash]

It’s spelled Cincinnati. [emoji16]


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Whopper Is a big fan of Xavier basketball. He is knowledgeable; he knows the game well. As he has clearly pointed out, he put two children through the school. I hope you were just kidding.

[bjf123]

Whopper Is a big fan of Xavier basketball. He is knowledgeable; he knows the game well. As he has clearly pointed out, he put two children through the school. I hope you were just kidding.

Of course!


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[whopper]

i cant be insulted as i have been the pleasant butt of jokes my whole life and somehow it has worked out well. It is a good board and we all want better results and especially performances. This was not a good one by any stretch and when i look at the players faces they know it more than we do.

[Masterofreality]

Second half highlight - Or the fight in section 106/108 late in the second half requiring two cops and an usher.


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Wonder if Final Four was involved?

[OTRMUSKIE]

i'd offer steele an extension. And here is how it would look.

Add 2 years to his current deal at the same salary. Give him some incentives if he advances into the ncaa tourney. Of course the deal will have a buyout, but structure it so the buyout amount decreases relative to our big east record. If we continue to play like crap in the conference, then buying him out comes cheaper.

Offer this, and let him react. He can take it, and accept the high risk and high reward nature of it. Or he can reject it, knowing that he will struggle to recruit if he has less than 4 years on his deal. So, rejecting it isnt really a great option, casue he's a lame duck. But xu must be willing to let him coach under this lame duck status. Because that gives us leverage in a negotiated buyout situation. If he leaves it needs to be mutual. He needs to know he can't succeed (which if he just watched some games, he would already know), and we need a cheap(er) out situation.

hellllllllllll noooooooooooo.

[Masterofreality]

i cant be insulted as i have been the pleasant butt of jokes my whole life and somehow it has worked out well. It is a good board and we all want better results and especially performances. This was not a good one by any stretch and when i look at the players faces they know it more than we do.

I feel sorry for the players. They are being badly served.
The simplistic offense and lousy defensive schemes do not use these players’ abilities to the best advantage.
The same misuse of talent we’ve seen since 2018. Sad

[xubrew]

Lol. But you couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about.

...and I take full responsibility for that. Had I given up sooner, the team would have turned things around. That's typically how it works.

[JTG]

This team is going to lose and keep losing until things are shaken up. It’s too much to hope for a firing now but there is no way he is kept after this. We need some kind of decent splash hire who knows what he is doing and it a new up and comer.

Screw the up and Comer 3 yr plan business, I want Miller, and I want him the day after we shit ourselves in the opening round of the BE tournament . I'm now on board with a 3 game crapfest of blowouts. I thought I wanted a turnaround, but screw it. Let's unload this dumbass, and get back where we belong.

[Xville]

Screw the up and Comer 3 yr plan business, I want Miller, and I want him the day after we shit ourselves in the opening round of the BE tournament . I'm now on board with a 3 game crapfest of blowouts. I thought I wanted a turnaround, but screw it. Let's unload this dumbass, and get back where we belong.

Amen. Sick and tired of the Steele clown show. Even if they win the next two, he should still be canned

[JTG]

You have information that we don’t about Miller? I think there is more of a chance that Steele gets an extension than Miller coming here.

If Steele gets an extension there should be a public lynching of Steele and Christopher in front of Cintas. Complete with torches and pitchforks.

[KabeX]

I feel sorry for the players. They are being badly served.
The simplistic offense and lousy defensive schemes do not use these players’ abilities to the best advantage.
The same misuse of talent we’ve seen since 2018. Sad
This is pretty much where I'm at too. Player development used to be a hallmark of Xavier teams. A good coach adapts to his players strengths and weaknesses (and does so continually). It's not an easy job. That's why they get paid lots of $$$. When you're not getting the return on that investment you gotta fix it. Or go bankrupt. And we're a lot close to the latter I'm afraid.

[xu82]

That’s it. That’s the post.

Does anyone else find it refreshing that OTR didn’t start this?

[chico]

There were a fair amount of empty seats in the lower bowl. I can't remember the last time I saw that - if ever. That should be sending a message to Christopher.

This team looks completely lost. I feel bad for the kids, because they deserve better. There is a lot of talent on this team. It's a shame our staff can't do anything with it.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Second half highlight - the student section chanting “Fire Steele!” Or the fight in section 106/108 late in the second half requiring two cops and an usher.


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Damn, I left before that - would have loved to see Steele and player's reactions.

That involved Steele's wife.

I have heard reports someone was heckling her and I have heard reports she was defending her husband when someone was yelling about him and tried to get them thrown out.

If it was #1 that is unacceptable and no one should be heckling Steele's wife.

If it was #2 then she is in the wrong and if she doesn't want to hear things about her husband fans may be feeling then she shouldn't come or should go sit in a box. Fans have the right to express their feelings about the head coach.

Curious if anyone sitting around there is on this board and knows which one it was?

[IM4X]

That involved Steele's wife.

I have heard reports someone was heckling her and I have heard reports she was defending her husband when someone was yelling about him and tried to get them thrown out.

If it was #1 that is unacceptable and no one should be heckling Steele's wife.

If it was #2 then she is in the wrong and if she doesn't want to hear things about her husband fans may be feeling then she shouldn't come or should go sit in a box. Fans have the right to express their feelings about the head coach.

Curious if anyone sitting around there is on this board and knows which one it was?

I agree that there is no room for heckling the coach’s wife.

If the person yelling about Steele was inebriated and non-stop with an abusive tone or if the fan was using profanity, then that fan’s gotta go. If the fan was just voicing his displeasure about a decision Steele made, then it does not merit ejection from the venue. Fans attending a game should remain civil even when they feel the coach or a player isn’t doing a great job. We have to be mindful of the kids at the game.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I agree that there is no room for heckling the coach’s wife.

If the person yelling about Steele was inebriated and non-stop with an abusive tone or if the fan was using profanity, then that fan’s gotta go. If the fan was just voicing his displeasure about a decision Steele made, then it does not merit ejection from the venue. Fans attending a game should remain civil even when they feel the coach or a player isn’t doing a great job. We have to be mindful of the kids at the game.

Yes agreed.

From what I understand the fan was not removed. So I tend to think it was something she didn't like that they were saying that wasn't bad enough to merit removal. Maybe she was being sensitive? But I honestly don't have any idea what really happened.

[X-band '01]

Second half highlight - the student section chanting “Fire Steele!” Or the fight in section 106/108 late in the second half requiring two cops and an usher.


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How much time was left in the game? I DVR'd the game and now actually have an excuse to fast-forward to the chant.

[D-West & PO-Z]

How much time was left in the game? I DVR'd the game and now actually have an excuse to fast-forward to the chant.

I think it was around the time of the mass exodus of fans right before the under 4 media timeout. A little more than 4 mins remaining. Might have happened a couple mins later.

[drudy23]

I think it was around the time of the mass exodus of fans right before the under 4 media timeout. A little more than 4 mins remaining. Might have happened a couple mins later.

MASS exodus - I left then too and it was like when the game actually lets out when it's over. Never seen that at Cintas.

[D-West & PO-Z]

MASS exodus - I left then too and it was like when the game actually lets out when it's over. Never seen that at Cintas.

Yeah it was crazy. I left after the game ended and I zipped right out of the parking lot!

[OTRMUSKIE]

Does anyone else find it refreshing that OTR didn’t start this?

My post are so banned 82! I'm eating $13 chips ! I'm high and I'm done

[whopper]

to even hope to salvage anything of the season we need to win out(ha) and at least one game in BET..that "may" get us to a PIG. Honestly though each player has to win every minute of the game vs their opposite number..to think of more than the next minute (or tops 4 min "war" now) is foolish. Is that even possible now given the mental state of the team.i sure hope so. I am cleaning my computer and just found a last summer twitter picture of the team(maybe August) working out outside and when you look at the hopes vs the reality now you cant help but feel sorry for everyone. They do need our support now and come what may this summer. The first Providence loss(Paul misses runner in and out, Bynum 3) started this spiral and probably exposed some previously hidden weaknesses. Good luck X

[UCGRAD4X]

Yeah it was crazy. I left after the game ended and I zipped right out of the parking lot!

I stayed AND did not notice either of those highlights.

About the only consolation was that there was not much traffic by the time I got to my car.

[American X]

Second half highlight - the student section chanting “Fire Steele!”

Poor students if these were their four years at Xavier. I just met a 2018 alum who got the four best years of Xavier basketball. Imagine you choose Xavier seeing that, then get these four years.

[Xville]

If something isn’t done at the end of this year, it tells me x no longer cares about the basketball team and I shouldn’t either. Fans are certainly trying to send a message..haven’t seen the Cintas center that low in attendance during a conference game in a long long time.

I’m still in shock as to what Steele has done to this program in 4 years.

[X-band '01]

If something isn’t done at the end of this year, it tells me x no longer cares about the basketball team and I shouldn’t either. Fans are certainly trying to send a message..haven’t seen the Cintas center that low in attendance during a conference game in a long long time.



You ain't seen nothing yet.

[Masterofreality]

If something isn’t done at the end of this year, it tells me x no longer cares about the basketball team and I shouldn’t either. Fans are certainly trying to send a message..haven’t seen the Cintas center that low in attendance during a conference game in a long long time.

I’m still in shock as to what Steele has done to this program in 4 years.

Careful.
Final Four will chastise you on a venomous post!!! #BrokenRecord

[bleedXblue]

If something isn’t done at the end of this year, it tells me x no longer cares about the basketball team and I shouldn’t either. Fans are certainly trying to send a message..haven’t seen the Cintas center that low in attendance during a conference game in a long long time.

I’m still in shock as to what Steele has done to this program in 4 years.

I was there. It was sold out and a pretty good crowd? Certainly some empty seats. There have been multipel conference game with much fewer in attendance.

[bleedXblue]

If something isn’t done at the end of this year, it tells me x no longer cares about the basketball team and I shouldn’t either. Fans are certainly trying to send a message..haven’t seen the Cintas center that low in attendance during a conference game in a long long time.

I’m still in shock as to what Steele has done to this program in 4 years.

Come on. Im as upset as everyone else, but Xavier clearly cares about its crown jewel.

What should be more concerning to all is the people in charge. I had complete faith in Mike Bobinski. I don't have the same confidence level in Christopher. His boss is brand new to the school as well.

Huge decision coming from both of them very soon.

[Xville]

I was there. It was sold out and a pretty good crowd? Certainly some empty seats. There have been multipel conference game with much fewer in attendance.

I was just going by what I saw on tv which is obviously just the donation seats…and there were more open seats in that area than I can ever remember seeing.

Have tickets to next weekends game, and I have zero desire to go.

[xuphan]

I was just going by what I saw on tv which is obviously just the donation seats…and there were more open seats in that area than I can ever remember seeing.

Have tickets to next weekends game, and I have zero desire to go.

Xavier should beat Georgetown pretty good next weekend. Should be an actual fun game to attend.

[Xville]

Come on. Im as upset as everyone else, but Xavier clearly cares about its crown jewel.

What should be more concerning to all is the people in charge. I had complete faith in Mike Bobinski. I don't have the same confidence level in Christopher. His boss is brand new to the school as well.

Huge decision coming from both of them very soon.

We will see regarding your first sentence, as you pointed out confidence level in leadership is low, and that extends for me passed Christopher.

[paulxu]

I hope our fans weren't heckling Travis' wife.

That's so Daytonesque.

[Xville]

Xavier should beat Georgetown pretty good next weekend. Should be an actual fun game to attend.

Honestly, Why do you think that? I have zero confidence they could beat school of the blind right now. Georgetown hasn’t won much this season, but there is some talent on their team, and they will be hungry to win a conference game.

[bleedXblue]

I hope our fans weren't heckling Travis' wife.

That's so Daytonesque.

This is a tough business. I actually hope it was his wife being the aggressor sticking up for him. She would be showing more fight than Ive seen from Travis.

[xuphan]

Honestly, Why do you think that? I have zero confidence they could beat school of the blind right now. Georgetown hasn’t won much this season, but there is some talent on their team, and they will be hungry to win a conference game.

Georgetown hasn’t won a Big East game this year. The game is at home on senior night. As bad as we have played I can’t imagine this team losing to Georgetown.

[bleedXblue]

Georgetown hasn’t won a Big East game this year. The game is at home on senior night. As bad as we have played I can’t imagine this team losing to Georgetown.

what are you watching? Seriously. There are no certain wins in this league anymore. This team is spiraling towards the abyss.

[xuphan]

what are you watching? Seriously. There are no certain wins in this league anymore. This team is spiraling towards the abyss.

I’ll say this. If this team loses to St. John’s, then they might just pack it in against Georgetown. If they beat St. John’s, I expected them to beat Georgetown. Have you watched Georgetown play? They are way worse than we are which is saying a lot. If Steele does lose to Georgetown, we might as well cancel the rest of the season. Forfeit the BET and any post season tournament we are invited to.

[bleedXblue]

I’ll say this. If this team loses to St. John’s, then they might just pack it in against Georgetown. If they beat St. John’s, I expected them to beat Georgetown. Have you watched Georgetown play? They are way worse than we are which is saying a lot. If Steele does lose to Georgetown, we might as well cancel the rest of the season. Forfeit the BET and any post season tournament we are invited to.

St Johns style of play is the complete opposite of ours. We lose by 15.

[xuphan]

St Johns style of play is the complete opposite of ours. We lose by 15.

Lost by 15? To the Jonnies? Wow, have you reached out to Christopher about your concerns for this program?

[Xville]

Lost by 15? To the Jonnies? Wow, have you reached out to Christopher about your concerns for this program?

Christopher should be canned as well.

[bleedXblue]

Lost by 15? To the Jonnies? Wow, have you reached out to Christopher about your concerns for this program?

Lets see, we lost by 13 at home to them? Did you watch that game?

[xuphan]

Lets see, we lost by 13 at home to them? Did you watch that game?

As a Jaguars, Reds, FC Cincinnati, and Xavier fan, I have been through a lot of disappointment. I know the season will be over soon and will have to endure an off-season of no Xavier basketball and having to watch the other teams I mentioned stink it up. For the first time, Steele finally said the team played terrible and that they were going back to square one on Monday. This team needed a kick in the pants and got it from the fans. We may very well lose the rest of our games but you gotta have hope that the team will find the form they had to beat Ohio State and Virginia Tech. We have the pieces to put together a good run but have to find the swagger from the beginning of the year. Life is to short not to have hope. Hope they can turn it around.

[Xuperman]

We may very well lose the rest of our games but you gotta have hope that the team will find the form they had to beat Ohio State and Virginia Tech. We have the pieces to put together a good run but have to find the swagger from the beginning of the year. Life is to short not to have hope. Hope they can turn it around.

Yeah, it has to run it's course.....X could easily win 3 straight and go dancing. However, Coach Steele/Staff has proven to be unable to play it's best basketball down the stretch.... it's officially a reputation now. That is absolutely unacceptable.

[X-band '01]

Okay, I'm now taking Xuperman off of ignore. Even he has seen that this constant Groundhog Day movie is unsustainable and unacceptable.

[xavierj]

This is a tough business. I actually hope it was his wife being the aggressor sticking up for him. She would be showing more fight than Ive seen from Travis.

The fan was a women sitting in very good seats. She didn’t get tossed. I was wondering if it was a parent of one of the players.

[Xer4ever]

Yeah it was crazy. I left after the game ended and I zipped right out of the parking lot!


I live on the Westside and was home before Steele’s post game on the radio. In 30 years, I haven’t left early 6 times, and never two games in the same month.

[Xer4ever]

I was just going by what I saw on tv which is obviously just the donation seats…and there were more open seats in that area than I can ever remember seeing.

Have tickets to next weekends game, and I have zero desire to go.

Many of those empty seats are because those people are in Florida. But I know on tv, it’s not a good look!

[Xer4ever]

Come on. Im as upset as everyone else, but Xavier clearly cares about its crown jewel.

What should be more concerning to all is the people in charge. I had complete faith in Mike Bobinski. I don't have the same level of confidence in Christopher. His boss is brand new to the school as well.

Huge decision coming from both of them very soon.


This times 1000! Bobinski was a great mentor to all our young coaches and had exceptional instincts on people. Christopher is the main reason I’m against making a move on Steele. I have more confidence that Steele can learn and improve than I do that Christopher can make a great hire. Not a happy place for sure.

[Xuperman]

Okay, I'm now taking Xuperman off of ignore. Even he has seen that this constant Groundhog Day movie is unsustainable and unacceptable.

It has to be about winning in February/March....it just does. This is just a basic requirement and a top reason to make a coaching change. The crap on the cake for me, is that X has lost Cintas....even to DePaul!!!

[D-West & PO-Z]

Nvm

[D-West & PO-Z]

If something isn’t done at the end of this year, it tells me x no longer cares about the basketball team and I shouldn’t either. Fans are certainly trying to send a message..haven’t seen the Cintas center that low in attendance during a conference game in a long long time.

I’m still in shock as to what Steele has done to this program in 4 years.

The place was packed until the mass exodus with about 4-5 mins remaining.

[Xavier]

Yeah I was shocked how crowded it was even 30 min before the game. Thought the Saturday afternoon played into it, but I didn’t pay too much attention when game started. Seemed normal crowd to me

[Xer4ever]

Nvm

Another way to look at it is anyone who didn’t or doesn’t pick X because of basketball, needs better parents

[GoMuskies]

Another way to look at it is anyone who didn’t or doesn’t pick X because of basketball, needs better parents

I don't think it's close to that simple. I may never of heard of Xavier without basketball.

[UCGRAD4X]

Another way to look at it is anyone who didn’t or doesn’t pick X because of basketball, needs better parents

You make a good point, but I can see a kid with two pretty good options picking X because of BB. I can also think of the one who would not have even heard of X otherwise. They also look at what 'student life' is like in general and may consider this a big part of that. I'm sure the camber of commerce pitches it that way.

To your point; the parent who is footing the bill will likely see other priorities.

[X Factor]

If anyone thinks G'Town is gonna be a walk in the park, I have news for you. They only lost by 9 to UConn, 3 to DePaul, and 8 to Nova.

IF Xavier loses either game to G'Town though, Steele should do the honorable thing and resign.

[paulxu]

I didn't pick X because of basketball...because why would you in the 60's?
Parents were hell bent on a Jesuit education for their sons; 2 older brothers to Georgetown, so I headed to X for a change.
Rolling down the hill from Marion and Elet to a Schmidt with only a handful of fans in attendance, can make you a little numb to fans in a sold out Cintas that decide to leave early.

I'm invested in Xavier basketball (from afar in South Carolina) because it's my alma mater and worthy of support. I cherish the few games I can attend in person...and stop by Dana's to dredge up great memories. (Would recommend to everyone to go there on the weekend of your 50th reunion...BJ deserves all the credit for keeping it running and successful).

So, I'll be the outlier to support at this point our current coach. I don't know what he's dealing with in the locker room, and I certainly would love to see better motion in the offense. But he gets paid to do that, and if he can't do it to the administration's satisfaction, I assume he'll be replaced at some point.
I gotta believe he's trying to keep his job and win games, so yes, it might be he's not up to the challenge.

But, as I've noted before and it bears one more look: Coach K (who had head coaching experience) came to Duke 2 years after they played for the national championship. He went 20-36 his first 4 years...36%, in conference. Travis is currently 30-36...45%.
Is Travis a coach K type winner? Probably not...no one else has K's type of numbers.
But I'd like to see him finish out this year on a high note and get us into the dance.
And like always...I'll keep pulling for my Muskies!

[X-band '01]

Even Krazooski made the NCAA Tournament in Year 4 at Duke - granted, that included a loss in their first game to perennial power Washington. Xavier also has a team much more experienced than them, and I can safely assume that they will not have a Johnny Dawkins-Mark Alarie-Jay Bilas-like senior class waiting in the wings in 2 years.

But thanks to Aluminum, this team now quits in the 2nd half the minute things don't go their way. The new Eggsavier Way.

[X Factor]

I didn't pick X because of basketball...because why would you in the 60's?
Parents were hell bent on a Jesuit education for their sons; 2 older brothers to Georgetown, so I headed to X for a change.
Rolling down the hill from Marion and Elet to a Schmidt with only a handful of fans in attendance, can make you a little numb to fans in a sold out Cintas that decide to leave early.

I'm invested in Xavier basketball (from afar in South Carolina) because it's my alma mater and worthy of support. I cherish the few games I can attend in person...and stop by Dana's to dredge up great memories. (Would recommend to everyone to go there on the weekend of your 50th reunion...BJ deserves all the credit for keeping it running and successful).

So, I'll be the outlier to support at this point our current coach. I don't know what he's dealing with in the locker room, and I certainly would love to see better motion in the offense. But he gets paid to do that, and if he can't do it to the administration's satisfaction, I assume he'll be replaced at some point.
I gotta believe he's trying to keep his job and win games, so yes, it might be he's not up to the challenge.

But, as I've noted before and it bears one more look: Coach K (who had head coaching experience) came to Duke 2 years after they played for the national championship. He went 20-36 his first 4 years...36%, in conference. Travis is currently 30-36...45%.
Is Travis a coach K type winner? Probably not...no one else has K's type of numbers.
But I'd like to see him finish out this year on a high note and get us into the dance.
And like always...I'll keep pulling for my Muskies!

For every Coach K or Jay Wright, there's a hundred coaches who NEVER got their program moving in the right direction and became unemployed.

I would be more sympathetic with Coach Steele if his first couple of years were rough, but improvement had been noticeable with results on the court.

Folks, Xavier is sitting in 8th place in Steele's 4th year. In what world does anyone think next year will be better? Usually good coaches get better in their 3rd-4th years. Xavier is getting WORSE!

I've seen enough.

[xubrew]

I don't think too many people pick a school because of athletics unless they are playing athletics. I'm sure a few do, but the vast majority do not. I'm not saying athletics are not an extremely valuable marketing tool, but I don't think it ever really seals the deal for anyone. That is not a good reason to pick a school.

That being said, the reason I picked Xavier wasn't a very good reason either. I came on an overnight visit, stayed with a guy I knew, went to a party and had a ton of fun, and...that was it! I had made my mind up within hours. So, what's more important that good basketball is good parties for prospective students.

I think picking Xavier was an excellent choice. But the REASON I picked it was objectively not a good one.

[paulxu]

In K's 3rd year they were 3-11; they did get to .500 in his 4th year.

Last year X set a record for new student applications.
However, I may have visited Dana's (and Woody's) too often my freshman year.
They are showing for this year the following:


Manresa, Xavier’s new student orientation program for first-year students, will run from August 12 – 15 with classes beginning on Monday, August 16.

I would have sworn I went up for Manresa, but maybe I'm dreaming.

[hoopster68]

In K's 3rd year they were 3-11; they did get to .500 in his 4th year.

Last year X set a record for new student applications.
However, I may have visited Dana's (and Woody's) too often my freshman year.
They are showing for this year the following:



I would have sworn I went up for Manresa, but maybe I'm dreaming.

I believe the "original" Manresa program at XU started in the fall of '63; I was in attendance in the Armory. We sat around tables, heard inspiring speeches & met new classmates. Good intro to Xavier, ignatian spirituality & seeing a few coeds from the Mount (?). Great memories!

[SemajParlor]

I miss the feeling when this time of year was fun.

[Masterofreality]

I miss the feeling when this time of year was fun.

11 years ago today Xavier wrapped up double A10 basketball championships for Women & Men. :-(

[xuphan]

11 years ago today Xavier wrapped up double A10 basketball championships for Women & Men. :-(

A lot has changed in 11 years.

[Masterofreality]

A lot has changed in 11 years.

Recently not for the better

[Backyard Champ]

11 years ago today Xavier wrapped up double A10 basketball championships for Women & Men. :-(

And we had to go watch horrible opponents all year long. Let’s be real: this team would win the A10 pretty easily. Look at that league. I’m so thankful we aren’t there anymore. Sure it’s more difficult to run the league, but our teams are much much better than most of those teams. I actually think most of Steeles teams would have made the tournament if we were still in the A10.

[GoMuskies]

And we had to go watch horrible opponents all year long. Let’s be real: this team would win the A10 pretty easily. Look at that league. I’m so thankful we aren’t there anymore. Sure it’s more difficult to run the league, but our teams are much much better than most of those teams. I actually think most of Steeles teams would have made the tournament if we were still in the A10.

Hey look, it's Mick Cronin!

[Xville]

And we had to go watch horrible opponents all year long. Let’s be real: this team would win the A10 pretty easily. Look at that league. I’m so thankful we aren’t there anymore. Sure it’s more difficult to run the league, but our teams are much much better than most of those teams. I actually think most of Steeles teams would have made the tournament if we were still in the A10.

Lol that’s hysterical. The big East is better than the a10 as a hole sure. doesn’t mean any of steeles teams are better than the majority of the teams in the a10. This team would struggle in the ovc with this cartoon coaching staff, kidding but saying this team would easily win the a10 is equally ridiculous

[Masterofreality]

Lol that’s hysterical. The big East is better than the a10 as a hole sure. doesn’t mean any of steeles teams are better than the majority of the teams in the a10. This team would struggle in the ovc with this cartoon coaching staff, kidding but saying this team would easily win the a10 is equally ridiculous

*Previous poster disregards 3 Elite 8’s and numerous Sweet 16’s from those substandard teams.

[xubrew]

I think Xavier would win the Atlantic Ten this year. It's not a very good league this year. I think there are a few teams that have the potential to be good in the future, but not this year. I think that the top four teams in the MAC right now, (Toledo, Ohio U, Kent State, and Buffalo) would all have a very good chance of winning the A10 this year if they played in it.

[Xer4ever]

I don't think it's close to that simple. I may never of heard of Xavier without basketball.

Very good point, but that’s another problem. Unless you live in Zimbabwe. !

[Masterofreality]

I think Xavier would win the Atlantic Ten this year. It's not a very good league this year. I think there are a few teams that have the potential to be good in the future, but not this year. I think that the top four teams in the MAC right now, (Toledo, Ohio U, Kent State, and Buffalo) would all have a very good chance of winning the A10 this year if they played in it.

But people have to remember what the A10 was when we played in it. It definitely sucks now, but…
Back in our day there you had great coaches like John Chaney, Rick Majerus, Jim Baron, Jim Harrick, Oliver Purnell (ok above average), John Beilein and Phil Martelli before he got old. There were years with multiple Top 25 teams in that league.
It was not a cakewalk every game, but there were definitely more easy ones.

[SemajParlor]

11 years ago today Xavier wrapped up double A10 basketball championships for Women & Men. :-(

Tu Holloway isn't walking through that door :(

[Backyard Champ]

But people have to remember what the A10 was when we played in it. It definitely sucks now, but…
Back in our day there you had great coaches like John Chaney, Rick Majerus, Jim Baron, Jim Harrick, Oliver Purnell (ok above average), John Beilein and Phil Martelli before he got old. There were years with multiple Top 25 teams in that league.
It was not a cakewalk every game, but there were definitely more easy ones.

Lol You summed up the A10 nicely.

“There were years we had multiple teams ranked in the top 25!”

The league sucked. You are right, we were thrilled when another team was fringe top 25. That’s why every year, no matter how bad we were, there was a decent shot at winning the league tournament and still making the tourney.

[paulxu]

I believe the "original" Manresa program at XU started in the fall of '63; I was in attendance in the Armory. We sat around tables, heard inspiring speeches & met new classmates. Good intro to Xavier, ignatian spirituality & seeing a few coeds from the Mount (?). Great memories!

Ah ha! I'm not losing my mind. Thanks for the verification.
Also, Armory had some great mixers.

[Xuperman]

The focus on the Steele ineptness is well documented here and officially warranted. Just would like to hear what you all think about 2021-22 Paul Scruggs. Is his final season for X more disappointing than Marshall's? IMO it is. Both were pre season ALL BE, but Paul is basically in honorable mention territory.

Just spreading the blame game to be fair.

[Xuperman]

The focus on the Steele ineptness is well documented here and officially warranted. Just would like to hear what you all think about 2021-22 Paul Scruggs. Is his final season for X more disappointing than Marshall's? IMO it is. Both were pre season ALL BE, but Paul is basically in honorable mention territory.

Just spreading the blame game to be fair.

[Xville]

The focus on the Steele ineptness is well documented here and officially warranted. Just would like to hear what you all think about 2021-22 Paul Scruggs. Is his final season for X more disappointing than Marshall's? IMO it is. Both were pre season ALL BE, but Paul is basically in honorable mention territory.

Just spreading the blame game to be fair.

My biggest problem with Scruggs this year has been his effort. About 50% of the time, he looks and plays like he could not give a crap.

My question to him would be, why did he bother coming back if this is how he was going to play half the time?

[Xuperman]

It is well documented that the REASON he flipped the bird on European $$$, is because he couldn't go out like that. Options over....barring a run to the dance. More disappointing than Naji.

[boozehound]

My biggest problem with Scruggs this year has been his effort. About 50% of the time, he looks and plays like he could not give a crap.

My question to him would be, why did he bother coming back if this is how he was going to play half the time?

I'm not sure I think that his effort has been lacking, I just think he is what he is in terms of ability and he hit his ceiling relatively young. Super-senior Paul Scruggs doesn't look that much better than Sophmore Paul Scruggs. He still telegraphs his drives too much, has limited offensive moves, and lacks court vision. His ball handling isn't great. I think that the problem is that he has had to be 'the guy' in the back court for the past few years, and that's not really what he is best suited for. He also can't create his shot off the dribble very well, and Steele's offense relies on that almost entirely.

[Masterofreality]

The focus on the Steele ineptness is well documented here and officially warranted. Just would like to hear what you all think about 2021-22 Paul Scruggs. Is his final season for X more disappointing than Marshall's? IMO it is. Both were pre season ALL BE, but Paul is basically in honorable mention territory.

Just spreading the blame game to be fair.

I mean, Naji literally won X four games (and should have been 5 vs Butler if Steele hadn’t called for an unchallenging back court defense vs Kamar Baldwin) so I sure don’t think that Naji was the disappointment.

[UCGRAD4X]

I mean, Naji literally won X four games (and should have been 5 vs Butler if Steele hadn’t called for an unchallenging back court defense vs Kamar Baldwin) so I sure don’t think that Naji was the disappointment.

I think he played us out of a few games down the stretch with his hero ball crap. Turnovers, charges, bad shots...

[Xavier]

He was a mixed bag. Had flashes of brilliance but also absolutely cost X games. Overall a poor decision maker that his talent sometimes overcame.

[MHettel]

A few observations about Scruggs.

He seems content to accept going extended periods of time not scoring. He might have zero points at half in a game. He may turn it on later that same game which makes you wonder why he doesnt have it "on" all of the time....

Also, Paul is offensively inefficient. I can think of 3 key ways a guard can be above average efficient. 1) He can be a "knock down (40%) shooter" from 3 that takes enough 3's that the opponent must game plan against them. 2) He can hit the midrange and finish around the rim at a high percentage (55% +). 3) The player draws alot of fouls (7+ per 40 minutes) and shoots very well from the line (80%).


Now Scruggs isnt really terrible at these things. He's just not quite at the level for any of them to be offensively efficient. Think about Holloway. He was PHENOMINAL at getting to the line. Just THAT made him great. He only shot 46% from 2 and 34% from 3. But getting to the line more than 8 times a game as an upperclassman (and hitting 86%) was enough ALONE to make him great.

Paul is just average offensively, yet he's our centerpiece and a go-to guy.

I'm not putting this all on Paul, by the way. Hes a solid player that could be a key guy on a team with an alpha dog. But he's not the alpha dog. Except we are asking him to be...

[N67ER]

A few observations about Scruggs.

He seems content to accept going extended periods of time not scoring. He might have zero points at half in a game. He may turn it on later that same game which makes you wonder why he doesnt have it "on" all of the time....

Also, Paul is offensively inefficient. I can think of 3 key ways a guard can be above average efficient. 1) He can be a "knock down (40%) shooter" from 3 that takes enough 3's that the opponent must game plan against them. 2) He can hit the midrange and finish around the rim at a high percentage (55% +). 3) The player draws alot of fouls (7+ per 40 minutes) and shoots very well from the line (80%).


Now Scruggs isnt really terrible at these things. He's just not quite at the level for any of them to be offensively efficient. Think about Holloway. He was PHENOMINAL at getting to the line. Just THAT made him great. He only shot 46% from 2 and 34% from 3. But getting to the line more than 8 times a game as an upperclassman (and hitting 86%) was enough ALONE to make him great.

Paul is just average offensively, yet he's our centerpiece and a go-to guy.

I'm not putting this all on Paul, by the way. Hes a solid player that could be a key guy on a team with an alpha dog. But he's not the alpha dog. Except we are asking him to be...

Couldn’t agree more. Scruggs is a very solid player, but does not have the mentality to be the alpha. An alpha would not have had so many games where he either scored few points or had a bad turnover to assist ratio or didn’t play lock down defense. Alphas do not miss free throws when the game hangs in the balance. I think it is fair to say that both Scruggs and the team would be in a better place today if he had moved on after last year. That said, I applaud him for the effort and sacrifice. I pray that he shines in every game he plays until the fast coming end of his college career.

[whopper]

i agree..he put us up 2 vs Florida State in 2018 91-89 with a minute to go!! Because Q forgot how to play we made Scruggs a point guard and he is a classic 2. In some ways he is a poor point guard with his high dribble and honestly i see him needlessly go behind back/between legs and make turnovers, or pass with left hand due to some error in mechanics. His D is not great on a driver like Bynum, he was OK against a thug like Richmond. This is a case of inter year problems...if Q had stayed at point he could have handed off to Dwon and been at the #2 or #3. Honestly Kunkel is not a horrible point guard..good ball security and DOES SOMETHING to put pressure on opponent. Living in Conn as a UConn grad, and having many Providence friends and a couple of Villanova makes my group chat sad. I pray that somehow we can sneak into the PIG and actually we may do well to get AWAY from the Big East which seems to have over scouted us

[drudy23]

I always thought Paul could be our defensive badass. He's long, strong, and built like a true Big East guard. Stanley Burrell, but bigger.

If he's not going to score consistently, ask him to give 100% on the defensive end and just be a menace on defense. May be better for the team.

[Blue Blooded-05]

But people have to remember what the A10 was when we played in it. It definitely sucks now, but…
Back in our day there you had great coaches like John Chaney, Rick Majerus, Jim Baron, Jim Harrick, Oliver Purnell (ok above average), John Beilein and Phil Martelli before he got old. There were years with multiple Top 25 teams in that league.
It was not a cakewalk every game, but there were definitely more easy ones.

Phil Martelli has been 70 for 20 years

[boozehound]

I always thought Paul could be our defensive badass. He's long, strong, and built like a true Big East guard. Stanley Burrell, but bigger.

If he's not going to score consistently, ask him to give 100% on the defensive end and just be a menace on defense. May be better for the team.

He doesn’t seem to have great body control, which is probably why he isn’t an elite defender and tends to foul a lot. I agree though that based on his frame you would think he could be a great defender.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

A few observations about Scruggs.

He seems content to accept going extended periods of time not scoring. He might have zero points at half in a game. He may turn it on later that same game which makes you wonder why he doesnt have it "on" all of the time....

Also, Paul is offensively inefficient. I can think of 3 key ways a guard can be above average efficient. 1) He can be a "knock down (40%) shooter" from 3 that takes enough 3's that the opponent must game plan against them. 2) He can hit the midrange and finish around the rim at a high percentage (55% +). 3) The player draws alot of fouls (7+ per 40 minutes) and shoots very well from the line (80%).


Now Scruggs isnt really terrible at these things. He's just not quite at the level for any of them to be offensively efficient. Think about Holloway. He was PHENOMINAL at getting to the line. Just THAT made him great. He only shot 46% from 2 and 34% from 3. But getting to the line more than 8 times a game as an upperclassman (and hitting 86%) was enough ALONE to make him great.

Paul is just average offensively, yet he's our centerpiece and a go-to guy.

I'm not putting this all on Paul, by the way. Hes a solid player that could be a key guy on a team with an alpha dog. But he's not the alpha dog. Except we are asking him to be...

+1

We tried to make him something he wasn't and something he couldn't become. It is sad that Scruggs and Nate came back to obtain what they could not last year but likely will not obtain this year either. Also, sad we are booing our players, booing our coach, talking trash to the coaches' wife. This year has spiraled down to a familiar place. I don't see how you fix it unless, as one poster noted some threads ago, you burn it all down. I sense, in reading all the latest posts, that as a group, most of us are out of gas.

[XUGRAD80]

+1
I sense, in reading all the latest posts, that as a group, most of us are out of gas.


Not out of gas, but almost out of hope. The players are the ones that have been looking like they are out of gas.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I always thought Paul could be our defensive badass. He's long, strong, and built like a true Big East guard. Stanley Burrell, but bigger.

If he's not going to score consistently, ask him to give 100% on the defensive end and just be a menace on defense. May be better for the team.

I am not sure he has it in him. Love the guy but he has been abysmal on defense this year. I mean just truly awful.

[Xuperman]

I am not sure he has it in him. Love the guy but he has been abysmal on defense this year. I mean just truly awful.

This is just reality. It was a heavy burden, but Paul unfortunately fell short.....no Kamar Baldwin swan song...........until?

[Masterofreality]

He was a mixed bag. Had flashes of brilliance but also absolutely cost X games. Overall a poor decision maker that his talent sometimes overcame.

If Naji made bad decisions it’s probably back to what we’ve seen the last four years- poor structure and schemes forcing him into doing something.
But you can’t deny he literally saved 4 games with his NBA ability.

[Final4]

If Naji made bad decisions it’s probably back to what we’ve seen the last four years- poor structure and schemes forcing him into doing something.
But you can’t deny he literally saved 4 games with his NBA ability.

Thanks Coach you just made me $50. A bunch of us threw $10/each in the kitty with the bet being how soon you would type either “system” or “scheme”. I took the earliest block…….8am to 10am.

[Masterofreality]

Thanks Coach you just made me $50. A bunch of us threw $10/each in the kitty with the bet being how soon you would type either “system” or “scheme”. I took the earliest block…….8am to 10am.

And once again you come on here with nothing that is interesting to say, but to attack one poster while ignoring everyone else’s criticism.
I guess that 16 point loss Saturday must have tasted sweet from your sideline seats!! Hope it was enjoyable!
#OneTrickDeadHorse

[JTG]

What's the common theme here ? 4 years of the guy playing point not suited for the position. Naji and Paul better suited elsewhere. If you want to be like Nova you need to recruit a Gillespie or Archieandveronica, or whatever his name was. A real point guard. 4 yrs of the same damn fitting a square peg in a round hole.

[Masterofreality]

Thanks Coach you just made me $50. A bunch of us threw $10/each in the kitty with the bet being how soon you would type either “system” or “scheme”. I took the earliest block…….8am to 10am.

By the way. You are starting to sound an awful lot like the Dearly Departed Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute. :-)

[X-band '01]

His references aren't obscure enough to be confused with Freddie G.

[Masterofreality]

His references aren't obscure enough to be confused with Freddie G.

Ok. Hideous Redhead then.

[X-band '01]

Or maybe Helen

[GIMMFD]

What's the common theme here ? 4 years of the guy playing point not suited for the position. Naji and Paul better suited elsewhere. If you want to be like Nova you need to recruit a Gillespie or Archieandveronica, or whatever his name was. A real point guard. 4 yrs of the same damn fitting a square peg in a round hole.

I'd take a Jalen Brunson over Arcidiacono... though I'd still take Arcidiacono with open arms, would be nice to have someone who could shoot like him, which is Nate when he's not abysmally cold. *Sigh*

[American X]

From ashes the Xavier basketball program once came and to ashes it returns.

[xukeith]

From ashes the Xavier basketball program once came and to ashes it returns.

Maybe we X fans should give up on X at least for Lent?

[OTRMUSKIE]

I gave up sugar but if my routine physical comes back normal this week I may go back to sugar and give up Steel . That means no car, no silverware no nothing if it's made out of Steel. I dislike all things Steel.

[KabeX]

So my wife, son (17) and I are visiting my dad in Naples the week of 3/13. Our flight lands at 5:45 - yes, just 15 minutes before the (De)Selection Sunday show. And yes, I thought about that when I made the reservations. And yes, I didn't change them because I really had "reservations" about X making the Dance. This was a couple of weeks ago. Now? I'm going to enjoy some warm weather, drink a little (maybe more than a little), enjoy the 1st weekend of March Madness with 3 generations of hoops fans and ... REFUSE TO LET THIS UNPRECEDENTED, RIDICULOUS, DEPRESSING, SAD, INEXCUSABLE AND HOPEFULLY FIXED BEFORE I DIE, ERA OF XAVIER BASKETBALL ... get me down. Who the hell am I kidding? I've been down for a while. Xavier Nation needs you Bob Staak!

[Backyard Champ]

What's the common theme here ? 4 years of the guy playing point not suited for the position. Naji and Paul better suited elsewhere. If you want to be like Nova you need to recruit a Gillespie or Archieandveronica, or whatever his name was. A real point guard. 4 yrs of the same damn fitting a square peg in a round hole.

This is 100 percent accurate. Our stars over the Steele era play out of control. Head down and drive type of players. Naji always drove right into charges. Scruggs is hit or miss, but he often is playing quicker than he is. I think our teams are actually really good in every spot but the PG spot. We desperately need someone who can play under control and make the right plays. We do not need our PG to be the one forcing drives. In the Steele years- I don’t think we’ve had a single PG who knew how to run an offense. Rather- our PG’s just try to muscle their way to the hoop. It’s not a recipe for tournament success, and obviously big east coaches know how to stop us.

Could you imagine how good we’d be with a real point guard?

[Double Down]

I gave up sugar but if my routine physical comes back normal this week I may go back to sugar and give up Steel . That means no car, no silverware no nothing if it's made out of Steel. I dislike all things Steel.

You could get a Corvette; made of fiberglass.

[Masterofreality]

Could you imagine how good we’d be with a real point guard?

According to Coach Steele Dwon is a true point guard.
Just a true point guard who can’t shoot outside of 15 feet. But he makes 82% of his frees.

[XUGRAD80]

People are kidding themselves if they think that the only problem with this team is PG.

[xuwillie]

[QUOTE=Masterofreality;725756]According to Coach Steele Dwon is a true point guard.
Just a true point guard who can’t shoot outside of 15 feet. But he makes 82% of his frees.[/QUOT


But at least he knows he can't shoot. Everything else he does is above average. Def not the problem and should be playing 35min a game

[ArizonaXUGrad]

Starts at the top, Steele does not know how to prepare players and in game out in a league like this. He does not know how to game prep. He does not know how to get these guys to play tougher. As a result, it sure looks to me like the guys quit or a done with the season. They know it’s over and the Ncaa isn’t happening.

What I just can’t reconcile is why Scruggs and Johnson bothered to return at all. They knew he stunk, they knew his system was garbage. Why bother?

[Masterofreality]

[QUOTE=Masterofreality;725756]According to Coach Steele Dwon is a true point guard.
Just a true point guard who can’t shoot outside of 15 feet. But he makes 82% of his frees.[/QUOT


But at least he knows he can't shoot. Everything else he does is above average. Def not the problem and should be playing 35min a game

And I fully agree 100%

[boozehound]

There is a lot of blame to go around. It all starts with the coaching staff, but doesn't necessarily end there. We have major holes in our skill sets at a number of positions, but we don't seem to be able to scheme around it at all. Here is my take on just a few of our issues.

1. Ball Handling - We only have one guard that is a good (but not elite) ball handler and that guy can't shoot (Odom). Scruggs ball handing in particular is very poor for someone who plays the point. It inhibits our ability to push the ball, and makes us easy fodder for teams that can press because we can't decisively get the ball up the floor.

2. Passing - Our passing from the guard position is pretty poor as well. We make lazy passes around the perimeter and we telegraph them. Passes aren't crisp, and receiving players don't meet the ball. The rare times that somebody cuts to the basket and gets open, we often don't see them until it's too late.

3. Shooting - We have had extremely poor shooting for 4 years now, despite seeming to make shooting a priority when recruiting. The gravity of this can't be understated. We recruit wings and forwards that 'can shoot' at the expense of other skills, but then when they get here they seemed to get sucked into some kind of vortex that strips them of all perimeter shooting ability. We also can't make a layup. There is literally no spot on the floor from which this is a good shooting team.

4. Defense - It's not good. Even when we used to have bad teams under Mack, they could generally stay in games by playing good defense.

5. Movement with and without the ball - Our ball movement sucks, and our movement without the ball also sucks. We don't have bigs that can bang down low with the Big East beef that other teams have, but we also don't capitalize on our relative speed advantage in the post by using a lot of motion and cutting plays.

5. Basketball IQ - Pretty much all of Travis' teams seem to lack basketball IQ. I'm not sure how much this is a function of Scruggs being the leader of the team, but we make a lot of unforced errors. Nobody seems to have good court vision.

[drudy23]

There is a lot of blame to go around. It all starts with the coaching staff, but doesn't necessarily end there. We have major holes in our skill sets at a number of positions, but we don't seem to be able to scheme around it at all. Here is my take on just a few of our issues.

1. Ball Handling - We only have one guard that is a good (but not elite) ball handler and that guy can't shoot (Odom). Scruggs ball handing in particular is very poor for someone who plays the point. It inhibits our ability to push the ball, and makes us easy fodder for teams that can press because we can't decisively get the ball up the floor.

2. Passing - Our passing from the guard position is pretty poor as well. We make lazy passes around the perimeter and we telegraph them. Passes aren't crisp, and receiving players don't meet the ball. The rare times that somebody cuts to the basket and gets open, we often don't see them until it's too late.

3. Shooting - We have had extremely poor shooting for 4 years now, despite seeming to make shooting a priority when recruiting. The gravity of this can't be understated. We recruit wings and forwards that 'can shoot' at the expense of other skills, but then when they get here they seemed to get sucked into some kind of vortex that strips them of all perimeter shooting ability. We also can't make a layup. There is literally no spot on the floor from which this is a good shooting team.

4. Defense - It's not good. Even when we used to have bad teams under Mack, they could generally stay in games by playing good defense.

5. Movement with and without the ball - Our ball movement sucks, and our movement without the ball also sucks. We don't have bigs that can bang down low with the Big East beef that other teams have, but we also don't capitalize on our relative speed advantage in the post by using a lot of motion and cutting plays.

5. Basketball IQ - Pretty much all of Travis' teams seem to lack basketball IQ. I'm not sure how much this is a function of Scruggs being the leader of the team, but we make a lot of unforced errors. Nobody seems to have good court vision.

Which begs the question, what are we exactly good at?

These are our deficiencies yet we're running a perimeter oriented offense predicated on being good (2, 3, 5 and 6) at all of the things we're bad at.

[SemajParlor]

Which begs the question, what are we exactly good at?

I've been thinking about this question the last few weeks and at the end of the day sort of hits nail on the head. What's our identity, what's our blueprint to be successful to win a big game? What's our path to beating a team that's on paper that's equal or better than us?

At least with teams like Tyrique and Hankins our identity was controlling the glass and establishing the post. What are we good at?

[boozehound]

Which begs the question, what are we exactly good at?

These are our deficiencies yet we're running a perimeter oriented offense predicated on being good (2, 3, 5 and 6) at all of the things we're bad at.

Roughly 3 times a year we get hot from deep and look great. The rest of the time we suck at most of the things you have to be good at to win games. I will say that I think it all comes back to shooting for this team - we passed on traditional bigs to recruit stretch bigs with the idea of stretching the floor and creating space, but we are consistently one of the worst 3 point shooting teams in the nation. It boggles the mind, but it's been very consistent under Steele. I don't really know how to explain the cause though. Are we not teaching good technique? Did we just get a bad run of players that looked like they could shoot but really can't?

[SCMuskie]

There is a lot of blame to go around. It all starts with the coaching staff, but doesn't necessarily end there. We have major holes in our skill sets at a number of positions, but we don't seem to be able to scheme around it at all. Here is my take on just a few of our issues.

1. Ball Handling - We only have one guard that is a good (but not elite) ball handler and that guy can't shoot (Odom). Scruggs ball handing in particular is very poor for someone who plays the point. It inhibits our ability to push the ball, and makes us easy fodder for teams that can press because we can't decisively get the ball up the floor.

2. Passing - Our passing from the guard position is pretty poor as well. We make lazy passes around the perimeter and we telegraph them. Passes aren't crisp, and receiving players don't meet the ball. The rare times that somebody cuts to the basket and gets open, we often don't see them until it's too late.

3. Shooting - We have had extremely poor shooting for 4 years now, despite seeming to make shooting a priority when recruiting. The gravity of this can't be understated. We recruit wings and forwards that 'can shoot' at the expense of other skills, but then when they get here they seemed to get sucked into some kind of vortex that strips them of all perimeter shooting ability. We also can't make a layup. There is literally no spot on the floor from which this is a good shooting team.

4. Defense - It's not good. Even when we used to have bad teams under Mack, they could generally stay in games by playing good defense.

5. Movement with and without the ball - Our ball movement sucks, and our movement without the ball also sucks. We don't have bigs that can bang down low with the Big East beef that other teams have, but we also don't capitalize on our relative speed advantage in the post by using a lot of motion and cutting plays.

5. Basketball IQ - Pretty much all of Travis' teams seem to lack basketball IQ. I'm not sure how much this is a function of Scruggs being the leader of the team, but we make a lot of unforced errors. Nobody seems to have good court vision.

I agree with the above...and it's pretty depressing. One other aspect of the Steele regime that I am curious about is the strength and conditioning program. Is it on par with other teams in the Big East? It feels like our guys do not get stronger throughout their time at Xavier and these late season collapses that take place each year could be a byproduct of the S&C program. Anybody have any insight on that?

[drudy23]

I've been thinking about this question the last few weeks and at the end of the day sort of hits nail on the head. What's our identity, what's our blueprint to be successful to win a big game? What's our path to beating a team that's on paper that's equal or better than us?

At least with teams like Tyrique and Hankins our identity was controlling the glass and establishing the post. What are we good at?

Exactly right - Steele's team has never established what they are. I'm not sure Steele knows either.

It's obvious what he's tried to make our identity, but it's obvious he's trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. This team doesn't have the competencies to establish his vision. My take is that his vision was off from day 1 - why try to change an identity that's worked for 50 years?

[Mrs. Garrett]

There is a lot of blame to go around. It all starts with the coaching staff, but doesn't necessarily end there. We have major holes in our skill sets at a number of positions, but we don't seem to be able to scheme around it at all. Here is my take on just a few of our issues.

1. Ball Handling - We only have one guard that is a good (but not elite) ball handler and that guy can't shoot (Odom). Scruggs ball handing in particular is very poor for someone who plays the point. It inhibits our ability to push the ball, and makes us easy fodder for teams that can press because we can't decisively get the ball up the floor.

2. Passing - Our passing from the guard position is pretty poor as well. We make lazy passes around the perimeter and we telegraph them. Passes aren't crisp, and receiving players don't meet the ball. The rare times that somebody cuts to the basket and gets open, we often don't see them until it's too late.

3. Shooting - We have had extremely poor shooting for 4 years now, despite seeming to make shooting a priority when recruiting. The gravity of this can't be understated. We recruit wings and forwards that 'can shoot' at the expense of other skills, but then when they get here they seemed to get sucked into some kind of vortex that strips them of all perimeter shooting ability. We also can't make a layup. There is literally no spot on the floor from which this is a good shooting team.

4. Defense - It's not good. Even when we used to have bad teams under Mack, they could generally stay in games by playing good defense.

5. Movement with and without the ball - Our ball movement sucks, and our movement without the ball also sucks. We don't have bigs that can bang down low with the Big East beef that other teams have, but we also don't capitalize on our relative speed advantage in the post by using a lot of motion and cutting plays.

5. Basketball IQ - Pretty much all of Travis' teams seem to lack basketball IQ. I'm not sure how much this is a function of Scruggs being the leader of the team, but we make a lot of unforced errors. Nobody seems to have good court vision.

6. This team is soft/has no heart. I've never seen a team come out listless 100% of the time. Get beat to every 50/50 ball. It wasn't long ago this program played with a chip on it's shoulder, demanding respect from everyone who took us lightly. Those days are long gone.

I watched DePaul/Marquette last night and Tony Stubblefield has had only 7-8 players available all season long and they go out and bust their asses for 40 minutes and are now only 1 game behind X in the standings. Give Stubblefield a full roster and we'll be looking up at them too in the standings soon.

[drudy23]

Roughly 3 times a year we get hot from deep and look great. The rest of the time we suck at most of the things you have to be good at to win games. I will say that I think it all comes back to shooting for this team - we passed on traditional bigs to recruit stretch bigs with the idea of stretching the floor and creating space, but we are consistently one of the worst 3 point shooting teams in the nation. It boggles the mind, but it's been very consistent under Steele. I don't really know how to explain the cause though. Are we not teaching good technique? Did we just get a bad run of players that looked like they could shoot but really can't?

It's very hard to find wing players that excel on the perimeter and can hold their own in the post. Those are normally NBA guys.

Villanova has developed and put numerous of those stretch 4s in the league - we haven't. This program has never had success relying on the stretch 4 concept because our recruiting profile isn't high enough. Those guys are blue chip guys and are going to the top programs in the Big 12, the ACC, and Villanova.

Focus on building a balanced team of great shooters and strong post guys who have a bit of a chip on their shoulder and want to prove Xavier is the real deal. It's what this program does. He tried to recreate the wheel with a system based on players this program just hasn't and likely won't get.

Another point - whatever Villanova does with lower body weight training is working. All of their dudes are body movers, even their guards. This has huge impacts on those perimeter bigs being capable post presences as well.

[X-band '01]

6. This team is soft/has no heart. I've never seen a team come out listless 100% of the time. Get beat to every 50/50 ball. It wasn't long ago this program played with a chip on it's shoulder, demanding respect from everyone who took us lightly. Those days are long gone.

I watched DePaul/Marquette last night and Tony Stubblefield has had only 7-8 players available all season long and they go out and bust their asses for 40 minutes and are now only 1 game behind X in the standings. Give Stubblefield a full roster and we'll be looking up at them too in the standings soon.

Don't look now, but if DePaul finds a way to win at UConn Saturday and Butler loses at home to Villanova, Xavier plays the Blue Demons in Round 1 instead of Butler. That may well turn the temperature of this board up another 1000 degrees.

[boozehound]

It's very hard to find wing players that excel on the perimeter and can hold their own in the post. Those are normally NBA guys.

Villanova has developed and put numerous of those stretch 4s in the league - we haven't. This program has never had success relying on the stretch 4 concept because our recruiting profile isn't high enough. Those guys are blue chip guys and are going to the top programs in the Big 12, the ACC, and Villanova.

Focus on building a balanced team of great shooters and strong post guys who have a bit of a chip on their shoulder and want to prove Xavier is the real deal. It's what this program does. He tried to recreate the wheel with a system based on players this program just hasn't and likely won't get.

Another point - whatever Villanova does with lower body weight training is working. All of their dudes are body movers, even their guards. This has huge impacts on those perimeter bigs being capable post presences as well.

Exactly. We were never going to get those players, and we were fooling ourselves if we thought we were. It's a recruiting philosophy based on a flawed foundation. It's like when Chris Mack and staff would waste a bunch of time and effort recruiting top 25 PGs at the expense of top 100-150 PGs. We'd end up in the final 2-3, but they never actually came here, and we missed out on recruiting other guys who might have actually attended Xavier and been solid PGs.

Somehow our compromise has ended up being wing players that can kind of shoot the 3 sometimes but are soft in the post and don't have the size or strength to compete down low. It's the worst of both worlds.

[KabeX]

Tried the find the old "What time is it? It's WINNING TIME" video with BJ Raymond. But this will have to suffice:
https://tucson.com/sports/basketball/college/overtime-3-pointers-by-xaviers-raymond-put-dagger-in-wvu/article_ada23f4b-4906-506a-9ed9-e6ea10ad583c.html

Oh how I long for those days ... AND THAT ATTITUDE!

[American X]

3. Shooting - We have had extremely poor shooting for 4 years now, despite seeming to make shooting a priority when recruiting. The gravity of this can't be understated. We recruit wings and forwards that 'can shoot' at the expense of other skills, but then when they get here they seemed to get sucked into some kind of vortex that strips them of all perimeter shooting ability. We also can't make a layup. There is literally no spot on the floor from which this is a good shooting team.

For most of the first half (until The Jerome Hunter Three-Point Experience), the shot selection was actually alright. The shooting percentage was lower than Fred Garvin's taste in women, but the shots taken were generally open. I thought this period, as much as any time during the season, highlighted that this team is simply not that good at scoring the ball.

Of course, it got much worse, with bad three-point shooters taking bad shots and good three-point shooters taking terrible shots.

[CinciReds11]

Exactly right - Steele's team has never established what they are. I'm not sure Steele knows either.

It's obvious what he's tried to make our identity, but it's obvious he's trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. This team doesn't have the competencies to establish his vision. My take is that his vision was off from day 1 - why try to change an identity that's worked for 50 years?

What exactly is the vision he has in mind though? There doesn't seem to even be a plan that we aren't sticking to. He just throws the talking point around about 'our system' but I don't think he has one. Chris Mack's strategy just poorly executed?

[Masterofreality]

Another point - whatever Villanova does with lower body weight training is working. All of their dudes are body movers, even their guards. This has huge impacts on those perimeter bigs being capable post presences as well.

The Xavier Strength and Conditioning Coach is now Chase Campbell. Matt Jennings is now an Assistant Athletic Director.
We've gotten physically weaker and had more costly injuries ever since Jennings got promoted- this despite having an upgraded weight and conditioning room that cost a lot of money to enhance. I'm not sure how much day to day interaction Matt has anymore with the players.
Houston, we have a problem somewhere.

[IM4X]

There is a lot of blame to go around. It all starts with the coaching staff, but doesn't necessarily end there. We have major holes in our skill sets at a number of positions, but we don't seem to be able to scheme around it at all. Here is my take on just a few of our issues.

1. Ball Handling - We only have one guard that is a good (but not elite) ball handler and that guy can't shoot (Odom). Scruggs ball handing in particular is very poor for someone who plays the point. It inhibits our ability to push the ball, and makes us easy fodder for teams that can press because we can't decisively get the ball up the floor.

2. Passing - Our passing from the guard position is pretty poor as well. We make lazy passes around the perimeter and we telegraph them. Passes aren't crisp, and receiving players don't meet the ball. The rare times that somebody cuts to the basket and gets open, we often don't see them until it's too late.

3. Shooting - We have had extremely poor shooting for 4 years now, despite seeming to make shooting a priority when recruiting. The gravity of this can't be understated. We recruit wings and forwards that 'can shoot' at the expense of other skills, but then when they get here they seemed to get sucked into some kind of vortex that strips them of all perimeter shooting ability. We also can't make a layup. There is literally no spot on the floor from which this is a good shooting team.

4. Defense - It's not good. Even when we used to have bad teams under Mack, they could generally stay in games by playing good defense.

5. Movement with and without the ball - Our ball movement sucks, and our movement without the ball also sucks. We don't have bigs that can bang down low with the Big East beef that other teams have, but we also don't capitalize on our relative speed advantage in the post by using a lot of motion and cutting plays.

5. Basketball IQ - Pretty much all of Travis' teams seem to lack basketball IQ. I'm not sure how much this is a function of Scruggs being the leader of the team, but we make a lot of unforced errors. Nobody seems to have good court vision.

Yes. Very good post. You’ve nailed many issue with this team. Many of these same issues have been frustrating me too.

I will add that this team (and every Steele team) seems to have a moment where they are starting to click. We will see very good shooting for a stretch, a smothering defense, great movement on offense with and without the ball, smart passes, toughness inside and even very solid rebounding. Then it all seems to fall apart again. It’s like the team chemistry and the decisions being made (by the players and the coach) start getting worse instead of better towards the end of each season.

It seems at the beginning of almost every game there is a lack of killer instinct. The opponent usually takes advantage of X being less aggressive or out of sync. X usually falls behind a few baskets early. Later in the game they typically have long stretches where several lethargic players look to be okay with just going through the motions and then they start making incredibly bad decisions. Every time the team has a little positive swing in momentum, one player will get sloppy/lazy or the coach will sub in a questionable lineup that gets abused.

It feels like there are three players who are locked in at this point (Dwon, Colby, Nunge) and a bunch of other players who either can’t find a rhythm or at least stay in a rhythm (Scruggs, Free, Kunkel, Hunter, Johnson) and at times become so reckless with their decisions that they cripple the entire team. Still, it all ties back to how well the coaches see the issues and can correct them. “I told my guys after the game…” Hey coach, we don’t care what you told your guys after the game, we just want to see that you have them well prepare before the game and they show that preparation during the game. If these players are making the same mistakes again and again, coach, you are obviously not communicating effectively.

[drudy23]

What exactly is the vision he has in mind though? There doesn't seem to even be a plan that we aren't sticking to. He just throws the talking point around about 'our system' but I don't think he has one. Chris Mack's strategy just poorly executed?

As I've said numerous times, I'm convinced he got this job because he convinced the AD that he could build Villanova Part 2. His past and current recruiting pipeline since he took over is strong evidence of that. Developing "big" guys who can shoot a little bit.

As Booze eloquently mentioned, we are getting the worst of both worlds. Bigs that aren't big enough for Big East banging, and they don't shoot well enough to be true perimeter threats. The bigs that are built to bang but can also shoot are diamonds - and they're not likely coming here.

Imagine the development plan for a guy like Free - does he focus on shooting, or does he focus on building his body to bang down low and developing post moves? He's stuck in between and really neither have taken off. I'd also venture to guess that the strength and conditioning philosophy is also trying to mimic this - get them strong, but not too strong, because they have to be able to shoot. It's likely why we haven't seen the strength gains as well.

At the end of the day, the strength guy builds his plan based on the coaches vision. They don't just go in there and start throwing up as much weight as possible. Not sure I'd blame the strength guy here.

[Xuperman]

Can anyone recall shooting numbers like this?

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/401373612

X is currently a steaming pile of cow dung.

[drudy23]

Can anyone recall shooting numbers like this?

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/401373612

X is currently a steaming pile of cow dung.

Sadly, yes, multiple times this year and last year.

[Xuperman]

Sadly, yes, multiple times this year and last year.

32% from the field? Cant see any game since Staak going that low. You got a particular game in mind?

[bleedXblue]

1. There isn't anything this team is doing better now than at the start of the season

2. There isn't a player on the roster that's developed and improved. You could argue Nunge I guess, but he even looks like he's running out of gas. I think we saw the best of him early to middle part of the year,

The regression and lack of player development is astounding.

Usually you can find a silver lining and can take a few things to the bank with you that are positives to look forward to next year.

Under no circumstance can you argue that Travis Steele has earned any additional time coaching at this university.

[boozehound]

For most of the first half (until The Jerome Hunter Three-Point Experience), the shot selection was actually alright. The shooting percentage was lower than Fred Garvin's taste in women, but the shots taken were generally open. I thought this period, as much as any time during the season, highlighted that this team is simply not that good at scoring the ball.

Of course, it got much worse, with bad three-point shooters taking bad shots and good three-point shooters taking terrible shots.

That's true. We did miss an almost incomprehensible amount of of easy shots early in the game, taken by a variety of players. Then we slipped into our traditional 'playing from behind' mode where the whole team basically just says 'fuck it' and starts chucking 3 pointers.

How can a whole team be this bad at scoring?

[xukeith]

Circle will be complete Saturday. It will be my 2nd game attending since Ferris St in exhibition play in November.

[UCGRAD4X]

1. There isn't anything this team is doing better now than at the start of the season

2. There isn't a player on the roster that's developed and improved. You could argue Nunge I guess, but he even looks like he's running out of gas. I think we saw the best of him early to middle part of the year,

The regression and lack of player development is astounding.

Usually you can find a silver lining and can take a few things to the bank with you that are positives to look forward to next year.

Under no circumstance can you argue that Travis Steele has earned any additional time coaching at this university.

I would argue that they are doing worse. Name one prominent player who is player better than last year or earlier this year.

Or one coach who is coaching better!

[bleedXblue]

I would argue that they are doing worse. Name one prominent player who is player better than last year or earlier this year.

Or one coach who is coaching better!

I did say regression.......maybe you missed it.

[IM4X]

I've been thinking about this question the last few weeks and at the end of the day sort of hits nail on the head. What's our identity, what's our blueprint to be successful to win a big game? What's our path to beating a team that's on paper that's equal or better than us?

At least with teams like Tyrique and Hankins our identity was controlling the glass and establishing the post. What are we good at?

I’m going to go with “getting really bad shooters plenty of good looks from 3.”

[xdude]

Along with the in-game stuff, to me the most glaring weakness with Steele's teams is player development. Scruggs and Freemantle are the poster children, but who can we point to that is better after 1 - 3 years under Coach Steele? Ky Ky Tandy? Hard on us fans, sad for Steele. He seems a good guy, but that doesn't make a good D1 coach, much less a good Big East coach.

[Xville]

For what it’s worth, x is still last four in for lunardi and a 10 seed in palms. Hoping at this point x doesn’t limp in and give Steele an extension.