Honorary Steel Balls Award...

[American X]

...goes to Vice President & Director of Athletics Greg Christopher and President Colleen Hanycz for letting go Travis Steele and bringing home Sean Miller.

I did not see this coming. Despite the experience of the past four years and the particularly excruciating implosion of this year, I expected Xavier to stick with Travis Steele for another year.

As an institution, in particular an academic institution, I expected Xavier to be slow-moving about any changes, especially the one most visible to the public. Any bureaucracy becomes risk averse and self-protective. Making a change involves risk, a risk that I did not think Xavier was prepared to take.

Also, making a change involves admitting an error. As with any investment gone wrong, we hold onto it hoping that it will turn around somehow. Letting it go is an emotional hurdle to overcome.

Christopher, Hanycz & the Board of Trustees moved with a shocking boldness. Miller was not a sure thing when they made the first move. Terminating Steele the morning after a victory to demonstrate full commitment to Sean Miller speaks volumes. They saw the risk of doing nothing was greater than the risk taking their shot, whether they landed Miller or not.

They went all in to lock up by far the best available coach and one of the best coaches period in America. While I had my doubts, they appear to have complete clarity on the importance of the basketball program for Xavier University, the downward trend of the Travis Steele era, and the revolutionary impact of a returned Sean Miller.

Endless respect and gratitude to Christopher, Hanycz, the BOT, and all those involved in making this seismic change happen for Xavier.

It is morning in Xavier Nation again.

[xudash]

Public reps AM X.

I believe we will "See Great Wonders" at Xavier beyond the basketball program with this leadership team in charge.

[xukeith]

Public reps AM X.

I believe we will "See Great Wonders" at Xavier beyond the basketball program with this leadership team in charge.

How about those lady Muskies?

Melanie, is her time ticking away?

[xu82]

It was bold, it was decisive, and I am confident great things will come as a result of these moves. Like it or not, Xavier basketball is a major calling card for our school. When I graduated in the early 80’s very few people knew of Xavier or where it was located. Now they are routinely recognized, and most people will throw in “great basketball program!”

They are a large part of our identity and I’m very hopeful for the first time in years.

[IM4X]

...goes to Vice President & Director of Athletics Greg Christopher and President Colleen Hanycz for letting go Travis Steele and bringing home Sean Miller.

Endless respect and gratitude to Christopher, Hanycz, the BOT, and all those involved in making this seismic change happen for Xavier.

It is morning in Xavier Nation again.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QwHiOF3Bcs4

[KabeX]

OK, I'll get into this ..

https://youtu.be/O5APc0z49wg?t=62

[Cornbread1190]

How about those lady Muskies?

Melanie, is her time ticking away?

Nope, she’s still cleaning up Neil’s crap..!
This one is going to take some time to fix.

She’s going to need the support from the Xavier Nation to get it done.

[American X]

Rewind a week, we are all wallowing in the misery of a season gone horribly wrong, yet somehow still continuing. Xavier won a NIT game that nobody actually wanted them to win. We just wanted this season put out of its agony and over. The prospect of another joyless Coach Hoodie season lay ahead.

How rapidly things changed. Not only are we liberated from the Steele era, but also, once an unthinkable dream, Sean Miller returns home.

Thank your lucky stars, the AD and President. What a time to be alive.

[IM4X]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s7dTBoW5H9k

“Mr. Blue Sky pease to us why you had to hide away for so long. where did we go wrong”


Thinking X video with this song, the Blue Blob and the Musketeers could be fun.

[XUBison]

...goes to Vice President & Director of Athletics Greg Christopher and President Colleen Hanycz for letting go Travis Steele and bringing home Sean Miller.

I did not see this coming. Despite the experience of the past four years and the particularly excruciating implosion of this year, I expected Xavier to stick with Travis Steele for another year.

As an institution, in particular an academic institution, I expected Xavier to be slow-moving about any changes, especially the one most visible to the public. Any bureaucracy becomes risk averse and self-protective. Making a change involves risk, a risk that I did not think Xavier was prepared to take.

Also, making a change involves admitting an error. As with any investment gone wrong, we hold onto it hoping that it will turn around somehow. Letting it go is an emotional hurdle to overcome.

Christopher, Hanycz & the Board of Trustees moved with a shocking boldness. Miller was not a sure thing when they made the first move. Terminating Steele the morning after a victory to demonstrate full commitment to Sean Miller speaks volumes. They saw the risk of doing nothing was greater than the risk taking their shot, whether they landed Miller or not.

They went all in to lock up by far the best available coach and one of the best coaches period in America. While I had my doubts, they appear to have complete clarity on the importance of the basketball program for Xavier University, the downward trend of the Travis Steele era, and the revolutionary impact of a returned Sean Miller.

Endless respect and gratitude to Christopher, Hanycz, the BOT, and all those involved in making this seismic change happen for Xavier.

It is morning in Xavier Nation again.

What an incredible series of decisions for Hanycz to make in her first year. Maybe the BOT gave her no choice, but I doubt it. If she weren’t on board, that would’ve been a compromising and unfair position to place a new president in her first months on the job. Clearly, she has very large steel balls.

[xudash]

I believe you will be pleased and very impressed when you meet Dr. Hanycz. More than anything, you will find that she is a very good listener. She is absorbing everything that she needs to know about Xavier. IMHO, and as I have already noted, Greg Christopher is a very sharp executive. The Steele hire didn’t work out, but virtually all of us thought that it was the right move at the time. Things happen. Nobody bats a thousand.

X is in very good shape. It may prove to be a fascinating and fortuitous development that we went into the wasteland with Steele for 4 years only to come out of that with Miller all over again, and with that outcome resulting in a NC or at least a F4.

[American X]

Until today, I never thought that I would like a female university president more than Nancy Zimpher.

[IM4X]

Until today, I never thought that I would like a female university president more than Nancy Zimpher.

I too was very impressed with President Hanycz today. From what I have seen so far, she seems like an excellent choice to lead X.