Redemption

[American X]

With Xavier’s return to the Sweet Sixteen, it feels like a universal wrong has been righted.

Over the course of four decades, Xavier rose and rose, then abruptly that progress came to a dead halt. We were right on the doorstep of the final 2%, then it was ripped away and felt like it was never going to happen.

For a long period, I never really got over the Florida State loss. The injustice of the three phantom fouls on Macura coupled with Coach Douche’s money grab burned and blackened part of being a Xavier fan. Then Coach Hoodie’s tenure did nothing to alleviate the disappointment, quite the opposite.

I maintain the Florida State Seminole stole our soul through that crushing loss. Xavier Basketball was clearly not itself anymore. More than the coaching change, something was just not right. With the firing of Steele and hiring of Miller, Xavier instantly got its mojo back evidenced by the run to the National (Invited) Championship. I do not know if it was gradual over the course of this season or at a particular point in time, but Xavier clearly got its soul back too. Maybe time will reveal if we had an earthly or heavenly agent to bring about this cosmic transference.

On Sunday, redemption was the word that flooded over me. All those years, all that dedication, and all that passion were all brought back. Xavier is truly back where it belongs.

This spectacular and unexpected season punctuated by this all-important second tournament win has healed the five-year wound and cleared away the dark cloud hanging over the program.

Here now resumes the ascension. Hope for the present and the future runs through all.

[Masterofreality]

And the soul of Amex is back too! Absolutely the perfect post!
All we need now is for our Legend Posters to return to this Message Board. The Legends built this board and many of us still text privately during games and otherwise. The insight and knowledge would be welcomed back with open arms!
While I appreciate most of the newbies, vets get it done, and for you other long termers, thanks for hanging in this Internet Tavern.

[GoMuskies]

I do not know if it was gradual over the course of this season or at a particular point in time,


I'll go with both. You have to gradually work up to getting your soul back, but it was officially returned around 2:05 pm EST on December 31, 2022 at the Cintas Center.

[nuts4xu]

Sean Miller came back to Xavier to get us "back on the fucking tracks".

In 12 short months, he has done just that.

[murray87]

Well said Amex!!

[atljar]

Sean Miller came back to Xavier to get us "back on the fucking tracks".

In 12 short months, he has done just that.

We should start a thread of fucking Miller'isms. These would be good starting points

"Dont take fucked up shots"
&
"I'm only here for one reason and that is to put things firmly back on the fucking tracks."

[Masterofreality]

we should start a thread of fucking miller'isms. These would be good starting points

"dont take fucked up shots"
&
"i'm only here for one reason and that is to put things firmly back on the fucking tracks."

“dez, don’t foul!!!

[UCGRAD4X]

With Xavier’s return to the Sweet Sixteen, it feels like a universal wrong has been righted.

Over the course of four decades, Xavier rose and rose, then abruptly that progress came to a dead halt. We were right on the doorstep of the final 2%, then it was ripped away and felt like it was never going to happen.

For a long period, I never really got over the Florida State loss. The injustice of the three phantom fouls on Macura coupled with Coach Douche’s money grab burned and blackened part of being a Xavier fan. Then Coach Hoodie’s tenure did nothing to alleviate the disappointment, quite the opposite.

I maintain the Florida State Seminole stole our soul through that crushing loss. Xavier Basketball was clearly not itself anymore. More than the coaching change, something was just not right. With the firing of Steele and hiring of Miller, Xavier instantly got its mojo back evidenced by the run to the National (Invited) Championship. I do not know if it was gradual over the course of this season or at a particular point in time, but Xavier clearly got its soul back too. Maybe time will reveal if we had an earthly or heavenly agent to bring about this cosmic transference.

On Sunday, redemption was the word that flooded over me. All those years, all that dedication, and all that passion were all brought back. Xavier is truly back where it belongs.

This spectacular and unexpected season punctuated by this all-important second tournament win has healed the five-year wound and cleared away the dark cloud hanging over the program.

Here now resumes the ascension. Hope for the present and the future runs through all.

Truth!

In some ways, JP represented the soul of the team. When they took him away, they indeed stole our soul.

[bobbiemcgee]

Need a game like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ojm9-Vs5C0

[D-West & PO-Z]

With Xavier’s return to the Sweet Sixteen, it feels like a universal wrong has been righted.

Over the course of four decades, Xavier rose and rose, then abruptly that progress came to a dead halt. We were right on the doorstep of the final 2%, then it was ripped away and felt like it was never going to happen.

For a long period, I never really got over the Florida State loss. The injustice of the three phantom fouls on Macura coupled with Coach Douche’s money grab burned and blackened part of being a Xavier fan. Then Coach Hoodie’s tenure did nothing to alleviate the disappointment, quite the opposite.

I maintain the Florida State Seminole stole our soul through that crushing loss. Xavier Basketball was clearly not itself anymore. More than the coaching change, something was just not right. With the firing of Steele and hiring of Miller, Xavier instantly got its mojo back evidenced by the run to the National (Invited) Championship. I do not know if it was gradual over the course of this season or at a particular point in time, but Xavier clearly got its soul back too. Maybe time will reveal if we had an earthly or heavenly agent to bring about this cosmic transference.

On Sunday, redemption was the word that flooded over me. All those years, all that dedication, and all that passion were all brought back. Xavier is truly back where it belongs.

This spectacular and unexpected season punctuated by this all-important second tournament win has healed the five-year wound and cleared away the dark cloud hanging over the program.

Here now resumes the ascension. Hope for the present and the future runs through all.

Public reps AmX! Man is holding me down.

[Wheelhouse]

It's as simple as this for me: we lost our mojo because we hired a very bad basketball coach. We got our mojo back because we finally dumped him and hired a fantastic basketball coach.

It's incredible how lucky we are to have Sean back as the captain of our ship.

[MHettel]

Need a game like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ojm9-Vs5C0

was on a work trip in Austria when the game was played. Flew back the next day, and tried to avoid any and all media to stay oblivious to the outcome. Got home at like Midnight on Saturday and watched the game on VHS. The freaking tape RAN OUT with like 30 seconds left!!!!!!

My wife, who recorded it and was very EXPLICITY told not to watch it until I got home (so no body language queues from her) was forced to confess that she couldnt resist did in fact watch it and that we WON! I never actually saw the ending.

That was like my happiest 12 hours ever, until of course the 8 vs 5 game we played against Duke & the Refs the next day.

[Cincypunk.org]

Need a game like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ojm9-Vs5C0

Lionel fucking Chalmers!
Romain fucking Sato! 11-13 from the stripe.
Anthony fucking Myles!
Justin fucking Cage!
Justin fucking Doellman!

That was THE team! 💪

[D-West & PO-Z]

was on a work trip in Austria when the game was played. Flew back the next day, and tried to avoid any and all media to stay oblivious to the outcome. Got home at like Midnight on Saturday and watched the game on VHS. The freaking tape RAN OUT with like 30 seconds left!!!!!!

My wife, who recorded it and was very EXPLICITY told not to watch it until I got home (so no body language queues from her) was forced to confess that she couldnt resist did in fact watch it and that we WON! I never actually saw the ending.

That was like my happiest 12 hours ever, until of course the 8 vs 5 game we played against Duke & the Refs the next day.

Awesome story!

I was a senior in high school and almost got fired from my new job at Hollywood Video before I even started. Was supposed to start working there that weekend and my family decided to make the trip to ATL for the games. I think my mother may have even convinced my new boss to let me start the next weekend, lmao. I wouldn't have missed X in the Sweet 16 (for the 2nd time but 1st of my fandom) for a job at hollywood video!

I do remember working the next weekend and the night of the final 4 though and hating I wasn't getting to watch basketball.

[paulxu]

Amazing number of Xavier fans at the 2 games in Atlanta in '04.

[X-band '01]

Wasn't there for the '04 Elite Eight, but I did get to see Xavier beat Chuggy Bear and West Virginia for the 2008 Elite Eight run.

[GIMMFD]

Back on track to hit the last 2%, what Miller has done is his standard and what we expected of course, but more importantly he brought back the good vibes of the program. It was miserable turning on games for the last 4 years, from going for all the hope in the world when Steele was first announced to just pure anhedonic thoughts watching us do the same infuriating mistake over and over and blowing games down the stretch.. I would have never driven 14 hours in a day to watch a Steele coached team, but I'd run through a fucking wall for Sean Miller. The best part is, we haven't even seen Coach Miller spread his wings and get a roster fully of his guys, the program is back to where it should be, working towards obtaining that Final Four, and it's nice to have the captain of the ship be an absolute badass.

[X-band '01]

Same. This is the fifth roadie I'll be taking to watch the guys this year (UC, DePaul, Butler and Pitt/Greensboro). There really is an intangible "it" associated with the program that we really haven't seen since the 2003-04 "Run".

[bobbiemcgee]

Amazing number of Xavier fans at the 2 games in Atlanta in '04.

Yep, I was there and in Orlando as well lwhen they smothered a huge Miss.St? team with drive after drive that reminds me a lot of Texas.

[X-band '01]

People also forget they lost to that same Mississippi State team earlier in the year down in Starkville. MSU hadn't lost a road game all year (and only 1 neutral-court game), but the Bulldog fans were understandably upset when they saw their draw.

[GoMuskies]

People also forget they lost to that same Mississippi State team earlier in the year down in Starkville. MSU hadn't lost a road game all year (and only 1 neutral-court game), but the Bulldog fans were understandably upset when they saw their draw.

And didn't they beat us by a million at MSG the year before?

[XUBison]

The tournament is my favorite sporting event, no matter what, but I almost forgot how much more fun it is when X is in it. Watching X roll through the first weekend… Pure bliss.

[X-band '01]

Yup, Mississippi State won all 3 games of an MSG-home-and-home series. I'll gladly take the 1 that Xavier did get.

[bobbiemcgee]

Lionel fucking Chalmers!
Romain fucking Sato! 11-13 from the stripe.
Anthony fucking Myles!
Justin fucking Cage!
Justin fucking Doellman!

That was THE team! 💪

Xavier Legends one and all!

[paulxu]

Come to Xavierhoops...learn a new word. Anhedonic.

[GIMMFD]

Come to Xavierhoops...learn a new word. Anhedonic.

Haha sorry can't completely turn the psychiatrist brain off, it's a fun word to be fair.

[murray87]

Speaking of Lionel:

https://www.fox19.com/2023/03/23/former-musketeer-reflects-xaviers-first-sweet-16-win/