Bigger Day In Xavier BBall History

[JTG]

The night West announced he was staying?
or
The news Miller was going to replace Steele?

I'll go with Miller.

[XUGRAD80]

Miller +1....so far.

The bigger day will when Miller leads them to the F4, and the biggest will be when they win it all!

[bobbiemcgee]

Opening of the Cintas Center for me.

[MADXSTER]

West to stay was the biggest for me

[XU 87]

Modern Era- Xavier beats Georgetown to get to the Sweet 16.

"Old" era- Xavier wins the 1958 NIT, which at the time was a big deal.

[xudash]

Modern Era- Xavier beats Georgetown to get to the Sweet 16.

"Old" era- Xavier wins the 1958 NIT, which at the time was a big deal.

Agree with you on both, but, with respect to the two offered up, Miller in my mind, and it isn't even a race. The stakes are so much higher now. We arrived in 2014 with the invitation to the Big East, having worked hard to put all the other program elements in place.

Miller was about correcting an unfortunate anomaly. It had to be corrected. An incredible run of coaches had been brought to an unfortunate end by a guy who would have been great for Xavier had he known how to coach at this level; had he been open-minded or more capable of flexing and adjusting his approach.

As it is now, and I haven't been drinking - yet, I almost see Sean's return as devine, in the informal sense.

He takes us to the Final Four. He may damn well win a natty with and for us. Not a bad career, going from the Johnny Carson Show to a National Championship with Xavier University.

[muskiefan82]

The biggest day in Xavier BBall history is the day anyone who wanted to scrap sports was told to pound salt and X committed everything to basketball. THAT is the day.

[paulxu]

As it is now, and I haven't been drinking - yet, I almost see Sean's return as devine, in the informal sense.

Clearly you have already started. Well played.

[MHettel]

Does #2 happen if not for #1?

I mean, we've had some great success over the years, but alot of it can get associated with a few key players. David West, Tu, and Trevon / JP come to mind.

The individual or team success during the tenure of these guys was critical in raising our profile. Who knows...if DWest doesnt come back how good would that team have been? I think we were a 3 seed and he was National POY. We lost to (defending champs) Maryland in the second round. Do we even make the tourney without West?

And the next year (with Sato and Chalmers) we were pretty blah until "THE RUN", which was a miracle. Matta left after that, paving the way for Miller the FIRST time.

So remove DWest as a senior and ask if Matta would even be a candidate for OSU. If not, then Miller waits behind Matta for awhile longer, right? Or does he jump and take the HC job elsewhere instead of waiting? Maybe he flames out at Ball State and would be out of coaching.

Maybe the announcement of joining the BE might have been a bigger day than both of these.

Or maybe the choke job against FSU that freed Mack to leave and resulted in Steele.

Or maybe the guy wearing the bag on his head in the NIT game that led to Travis' ouster.

to many ifs....

[X-band '01]

The day that Dayton fans claimed to pass us as a program.

[xudash]

The biggest day in Xavier BBall history is the day anyone who wanted to scrap sports was told to pound salt and X committed everything to basketball. THAT is the day.

That's a great point.

[xudash]

Clearly you have already started. Well played.

We may not think along the same lines politically, but you are a good egg and a sharp S-O-B!

[WCWIII]

Modern Era- Xavier beats Georgetown to get to the Sweet 16.

"Old" era- Xavier wins the 1958 NIT, which at the time was a big deal.

"Earliest (https://www.exhibit.xavier.edu/presentations/13)" era - Xavier alumni build Schmidt fieldhouse which is dedicated with victory in the first meeting vs UC.

No 5 Xavier beating No 1 Villanova at Cintas was a pretty big Xavier day - not just the win but everything that it took to get there especially Bill Daily (https://www.xavier.edu/now/2018/12/bill-daily-obit?utm_source=Today+at+Xavier+Subscribers&utm_campaign=686525c93e-Today_at_Xavier_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2094fa7cc9-686525c93e-69516497) and Fr. Hoff.

And of course, the biggest day of all for Xavier basketball is yet to come.

[xukeith]

The night West announced he was staying?
or
The news Miller was going to replace Steele?

I'll go with Miller.

Hope is very high. But, if this season and next seasons are dissappointing( 0.500 BE and no NCAA) then it will be a dissappointing day.

I have hiiiighh hopes, though.

[drudy23]

I think the Georgetown game was a big turning point. I was a young pup at the time and remember thinking there's no chance we're going to win. It just completely re-focused what was possible.

To that point, where does that team finish in the current Big East? There was some great talent on that team - maybe not too much depth however.

[JTG]

Hope is very high. But, if this season and next seasons are dissappointing( 0.500 BE and no NCAA) then it will be a dissappointing day.

I have hiiiighh hopes, though.

Honestly Keith, I think you could make a bucket of $100 bills depressing. I can't see a scenario where X is @ or below .500 BE and no NCAA short of some catastrophic injuries.

[XUBison]

Honestly Keith, I think you could make a bucket of $100 bills depressing. I can't see a scenario where X is @ or below .500 BE and no NCAA short of some catastrophic injuries.

Yes! It’s like Eeyor just entered the room.

[noteggs]

I think the Georgetown game was a big turning point. I was a young pup at the time and remember thinking there's no chance we're going to win. It just completely re-focused what was possible.

To that point, where does that team finish in the current Big East? There was some great talent on that team - maybe not too much depth however.

Agree with you and 87 on 1990 Gtown game. I’ll also throw in the 1987 NCAAT when we beat Missouri giving us our first tournament win. I was lucky enough to be at the school for both. Guess it has perks to be in school for seven years! Ha!

[xukeith]

Honestly Keith, I think you could make a bucket of $100 bills depressing. I can't see a scenario where X is @ or below .500 BE and no NCAA short of some catastrophic injuries.

So you're sayin' therei is a chance.

We alll want undefeated but these players have been dissappointing for many years. In Miller we trust but I don't expect Kunkel to be 1st, or 2nd team All BE. Just keeping it real.

[Xavier]

I don’t have the history many on here do. West coming back was awesome. Player of the year….get his jersey retired while still a player was amazing. But, the early loss in the tournament hurts. I look at that year as an overall disappointment (despite the craziness of March). I was more disappointed that year than the loss of the 1/2 seed years. But that’s because we won a big east championship and accomplished something I never thought possible (a 2 seed….then a 1 seed. Still crazy to think about)

Miller coming back brings back hope. I don’t know that people realize how close X was to completely falling off. It’s extremely difficult to rebuild programs. Especially in the big east. If we don’t land Sean- and miss on the next hire…toast. Miller coming back instantly changes the trajectory of the program in a way nothing else could. I’ve never been more excited in off-season news than Sean coming back.

[UCGRAD4X]

As optimistic as I am about the future with Miller on board, the ultimate affects are YTD. That may indeed be the best day especially considering the change in trajectory.

The program was on a more ascendent prior to the G'Town game, which is what got us to there. That win, however, changed the perception and designation of Xavier (OH) forever.

[Xuperman]

Beating Ohio State in the '84 NIT was huge....arguably the most significant win up to that point. I also remember the Larkin/Kimbrough team that beat Denny Crum and the mighty Louisville Cardinals in 1988 was crazy good! Louisville was ranked #4 in the country!

[Xuperman]

Of course, this thread can not be complete without mention of Andy Mac's "Number One in the Country..... Number Two in their own City"!!!

[xukeith]

Of course, this thread can not be complete without mention of Andy Mac's "Number One in the Country..... Number Two in their own City"!!!

Biggest win for the program. We all know exactly where we were when Brown hit that shot.

[Xuperman]

Biggest win for the program. We all know exactly where we were when Brown hit that shot.

I owned the INFINITY COMIC BOOK SHOP on MC and Wheeler. That night I was at my younger brother in law's dorm with NOTHING but UC crazies. When Brown hit the shot, I ran through the ENTIRE DORM screaming X, X, X, X, X!!!!!!

Freaking EPIC!

[paulxu]

I've got a 1st edition of the Silver Surfer.

[bjf123]

Of course, this thread can not be complete without mention of Andy Mac's "Number One in the Country..... Number Two in their own City"!!!

One of the greatest calls of all time, for any sport.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Xuperman]

I've got a 1st edition of the Silver Surfer.

In 1990, I would have paid you $5 for it. We constantly exploited students transitioning from comics to beer!

https://www.abebooks.com/comics/Silver-Surfer-%231-Stan-Lee-Marvel/31141282273/bd

Can't do that now!

[D-West & PO-Z]

Thats a tough one. No way of knowing what would have been different if West didn't come back. In a vacuum I'd say an awesome coach is always more important for the program than an awesome player. The coach doesnt have to graduate.

To this day though, David West was my favorite X player to watch. It was so fun every game counting down his points and rebounds until he had a double double. Usually done counting in the very early 2nd half. He was a machine. The tourney loss sucked but that season and seeing him get his jersey retired while still a player was AWESOME. And X having a National POY!

BTW Maryland only advanced to beat us because of a last second fadeaway 3 pointer that got them the win against I believe UNC Wilmington. Still dumb.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

There are lots of great and important moments for this program. I think a long-term perspective is helpful in answering the question. Certainly D. West coming back was important. But, if we are going to concentrate on one player, it was the signing of B. Larkin that really signals the beginning of the arrival of Xavier basketball. It was Larkin, after all, who parted the seas and let the Muskies out of the obscure basketball desert and into the modern era of Xavier basketball.

Still, the seminal moment in Xavier basketball as UCGRAD4X pointed out above, is the huge and historic win over Georgetown. Looking back, I can think of no bigger win in X history----although there have been a bunch of big wins. That win marked a point in Xavier basketball from which the program development accelerated.

Re-hiring Miller is a big moment but it doesn't compare to unknown X taking down badass GTown in March before a nationwide TV audience.