2023 College Basketball Transfer Portal

[bleedXblue]

FWIW. Latest projections has Kalk going late in the second round.

I think he comes back.

Although, I dont think he will ever be more than a role player in the NBA.......he could have a big year in 2024 and improve his stock enough to get picked in round 1

[Masterofreality]

Care to offer up any real analysis as to why shooting more FT's than your opponents attempt is not a winning strategy? Do you have any of these articles to link, or is your post just a continuation of the massive hard-on you have for everything MOR posts?

Anyone with a hard-on that lasts for more than 4 hours should see a physician…..or a psychiatrist. :-)

[noteggs]

I think he comes back.

Although, I dont think he will ever be more than a role player in the NBA.......he could have a big year in 2024 and improve his stock enough to get picked in round 1

Think you’re spot on

[muskiefan82]

I think he comes back.

Although, I dont think he will ever be more than a role player in the NBA.......he could have a big year in 2024 and improve his stock enough to get picked in round 1

This league will be sick next year. Love it

[xu82]

Maybe this is already posted here but 4mill?? Wow:

https://throughthephog.com/2023/04/22/hunter-dickinson-kansas-basketball-transfer-portal/

THAT could get you a dozen beers or more at a game!

[xavierj]

Maybe this is already posted here but 4mill?? Wow:

https://throughthephog.com/2023/04/22/hunter-dickinson-kansas-basketball-transfer-portal/

Talk about an overvalued player. He played with two lottery picks and they still missed the tourney.

[noteggs]

Talk about an overvalued player. He played with two lottery picks and they still missed the tourney.

May something about the coach too…

[XUBison]

THAT could get you a dozen beers or more at a game!

Or maybe a dozen eggs.

[murray87]

https://www.outkick.com/how-much-did-nil-influence-hunter-dickinsons-transfer-to-kansas/

I had heard he visited Nova so it's good he took his "talents" elsewhere.

[Xville]

https://www.outkick.com/how-much-did-nil-influence-hunter-dickinsons-transfer-to-kansas/

I had heard he visited Nova so it's good he took his "talents" elsewhere.

Frankly, this has made me really dislike the guy. Guys like that you tell to go kick rocks imo. He’s a decent talent but he’s not a winner, and it’s clear he cares more about the money than anything else.

[94GRAD]

Frankly, this has made me really dislike the guy. Guys like that you tell to go kick rocks imo. He’s a decent talent but he’s not a winner, and it’s clear he cares more about the money than anything else.

He knows his worth. The coaches/coach wouldn't tell their collectives to pay if they didn't agree.

[Xavier]

I’m fine with guys wanting to get the most money they can. I’m not too familiar with his game, but I do think Classic bigs can and should find a way to make their money in college while the traditional center position in the nba is becoming less and less needed.

I’m shocked timmie didn’t go the same route. He would’ve made just as much if not more.

[Xville]

He knows his worth. The coaches/coach wouldn't tell their collectives to pay if they didn't agree.

Yeah, coaches are never wrong. Just because some idiot pays it, doesn’t mean they are correct.

All I’m saying is if I’m a college coach, that’s not someone I want my team. There are guys just as talented that you can get at a blue blood. Jmo.

[XUBison]

He knows his worth. The coaches/coach wouldn't tell their collectives to pay if they didn't agree.

Sure, it’s easy for a coach to set a value when he’s using other peoples money.

[Smails]

Sure, it’s easy for a coach to set a value when he’s using other peoples money.

They've been doing that for decades. Coaches use the school's money to determine who they are going to scout, who they go see via private plane and eventually who they are going to offer a scholarship to. This is just another iteration of them determining how much they think a player is worth in this climate. Personally, I think it's out of control but coaches have been spending other people's money in the name of attracting players since the dawn of recruitment..

[XUBison]

They've been doing that for decades. Coaches use the school's money to determine who they are going to scout, who they go see via private plane and eventually who they are going to offer a scholarship to. This is just another iteration of them determining how much they think a player is worth in this climate. Personally, I think it's out of control but coaches have been spending other people's money in the name of attracting players since the dawn of recruitment..

Indiscriminately spending other people’s money? Right, but that’s not at all related to understanding a particular player’s market value, as had been implied. Not sure why those two things are being conflated.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Indiscriminately spending other people’s money? Right, but that’s not at all related to understanding a particular player’s market value, as had been implied. Not sure why those two things are being conflated.

The people who paid it did so willingly. I don't get the issue. UK came in pretty hard at the end. I am sure KU paid what they needed to pay to secure his services. How is that not market value?

Edit: Unless you were to argue he had ZERO interest in going to KU but in order to get him they made an offer so large and so much more than anyone else he couldn't refuse. I doubt that is the case however.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I’m fine with guys wanting to get the most money they can. I’m not too familiar with his game, but I do think Classic bigs can and should find a way to make their money in college while the traditional center position in the nba is becoming less and less needed.

I’m shocked timmie didn’t go the same route. He would’ve made just as much if not more.

Timme has another year still right? What did he decide? Did he enter draft but keep eligibility or is he gone? Or does he not have another year? I think he does due to COVID despite him seemingly being there forever.

Also, Timme may have received a boatload in NIL money just by staying at Gonzaga, not sure we would know.

[Masterofreality]

All our transfers have found homes:

Xavier Musketeers transfer Elijah Tucker announced Wednesday night via Instagram that he's committed to the Longwood Lancers.

[X-band '01]

So we've had one player transfer to Morehead, another to Longwood...

Nobody wanted to go to Austin Peay?

[XUGRAD80]

The schools where the transfers ended up are more inline with their actual abilities. I wish them all success.


However, can we now admit that the freshman classes the prior staff brought in, outside of Jones and Free, were vastly overrated? Have any of the others really panned out at a high major level? Personally I’m going to trust Miller’s judgement more than I did the other guy’s. I don’t expect every player he brings in to be a home run, but I do expect him to have a much better batting average than what we’ve seen.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

The schools where the transfers ended up are more inline with their actual abilities. I wish them all success.


However, can we now admit that the freshman classes the prior staff brought in, outside of Jones and Free, were vastly overrated? Have any of the others really panned out at a high major level? Personally I’m going to trust Miller’s judgement more than I did the other guy’s. I don’t expect every player he brings in to be a home run, but I do expect him to have a much better batting average than what we’ve seen.

Yeah. I, for one, gave Steele more credit than he deserved on the recruiting front. It was sort of "well, he can't coach so well but he sure can recruit". Not!

Still, he brought in Colby and many of his transfers worked out well.

But, definitely expect better from Miller and, so far, he's not disappointed.

[MHettel]

Pretty obvious that the “hit rate” when it comes to transfers is light years beyond the HS guys. It seemed as if some of our recent guys just would t be able to step on a d1 floor ever.

[sirthought]

I honestly thought Odom and Tandy were going to be the next Lyons and Holloway. And I wonder if they could have been under Miller.

[XUBison]

All our transfers have found homes:

Xavier Musketeers transfer Elijah Tucker announced Wednesday night via Instagram that he's committed to the Longwood Lancers.

This sounds like a solution to that four-hour problem talked about earlier.

[XUBison]

The schools where the transfers ended up are more inline with their actual abilities. I wish them all success.


However, can we now admit that the freshman classes the prior staff brought in, outside of Jones and Free, were vastly overrated? Have any of the others really panned out at a high major level? Personally I’m going to trust Miller’s judgement more than I did the other guy’s. I don’t expect every player he brings in to be a home run, but I do expect him to have a much better batting average than what we’ve seen.

Strange… sort of has the same feel of how recruiting went under Mack. Some big hits, lots of misses. I guess not so strange at all.

[XUGRAD80]

Strange… sort of has the same feel of how recruiting went under Mack. Some big hits, lots of misses. I guess not so strange at all.

No, not so strange at all. Pretty much the same story at every school. It’s my guess that much less than 50% of all college recruits become starters and probably only 1 in 5 become really good players….no matter what their rankings were coming out of HS. It just seems that so many people expect ALL of the X recruits to become stars every year, and when they aren’t they look at the kids as busts or disappointments. There are generally 12-13 players on every roster and only 5 can be full time starters. Probably most schools play only 8-9 on a regular basis. That means that on every roster there are going to be 4-5 players that get almost no playing time. X has brought in 4 freshman and 4 transfers. They have 4 players coming back. 2 were starters and one was their top 6th man for the last part of the season. I’ve no doubt that those 3 will be the core of next years squad. Anyone that is expecting ALL of the new players to be major contributors is going to be disappointed.

I realistically expect Free, Hunter, and Claude to all start and for a mixture of transfers and freshman to make up the other 5 regular players. Wouldn’t surprise me to see Miller experiment with some different starting lineups and rotations in November, before settling on a top 8 sometime in December. The good news is that X has several options and can go many different ways. The bad news is that most fans are impatient and want their teams to be firing on all cylinders from day 1.

[Xville]

No, not so strange at all. Pretty much the same story at every school. It’s my guess that much less than 50% of all college recruits become starters and probably only 1 in 5 become really good players….no matter what their rankings were coming out of HS. It just seems that so many people expect ALL of the X recruits to become stars every year, and when they aren’t they look at the kids as busts or disappointments. There are generally 12-13 players on every roster and only 5 can be full time starters. Probably most schools play only 8-9 on a regular basis. That means that on every roster there are going to be 4-5 players that get almost no playing time. X has brought in 4 freshman and 4 transfers. They have 4 players coming back. 2 were starters and one was their top 6th man for the last part of the season. I’ve no doubt that those 3 will be the core of next years squad. Anyone that is expecting ALL of the new players to be major contributors is going to be disappointed.

I realistically expect Free, Hunter, and Claude to all start and for a mixture of transfers and freshman to make up the other 5 regular players. Wouldn’t surprise me to see Miller experiment with some different starting lineups and rotations in November, before settling on a top 8 sometime in December. The good news is that X has several options and can go many different ways. The bad news is that most fans are impatient and want their teams to be firing on all cylinders from day 1.

I don’t think hunter will start. I think it will be olivari, Claude, McKnight and then free, and north Texas big man.

Hunter, craft, green definitely in the rotation. And then three or 4 guys fighting for that last rotational spot. It’s nice that it seems x will have some depth next year

[X-band '01]

Ousmane would be the UNT guy you're thinking of.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

Consensus here seems to be that Miller will play with a short bench once we get into the meat of the schedule. While I acknowledge that this view fits his past behavior, the consensus view, in many areas, is often wrong. For example, at the end of 2021-2022 season, two consensus views were that there was no spot in the lineup for Hunter and that Kunkel wasn't B.E. quality. Those views proved to be off the mark......widely so.

So, I'm betting that Miller plays as many as ten guys next year. He seems to have the talent (although admittedly we tend to generally over-value the contribution of freshman). Still, I'm betting most of you are wrong. I guess we will find out.

[Xavier]

Timme has another year still right? What did he decide? Did he enter draft but keep eligibility or is he gone? Or does he not have another year? I think he does due to COVID despite him seemingly being there forever.

Also, Timme may have received a boatload in NIL money just by staying at Gonzaga, not sure we would know.

He has another year. He’s made it clear he is done. I’m sure he made a boatload and would returning to Gonzaga too. He will have a good career overseas but I can’t see nba potential from him. I love watching him play so hopefully he makes a huge announcement and returns.

[Xavier]

Consensus here seems to be that Miller will play with a short bench once we get into the meat of the schedule. While I acknowledge that this view fits his past behavior, the consensus view, in many areas, is often wrong. For example, at the end of 2021-2022 season, two consensus views were that there was no spot in the lineup for Hunter and that Kunkel wasn't B.E. quality. Those views proved to be off the mark......widely so.

So, I'm betting that Miller plays as many as ten guys next year. He seems to have the talent (although admittedly we tend to generally over-value the contribution of freshman). Still, I'm betting most of you are wrong. I guess we will find out.

I’m not sure where exactly I saw or heard this- but I think Sean mentioned liking to play a very short rotation. Basically keeping a short rotation helps those units build and develop as a group (chemistry, etc) and instead of each guy growing and helping the team get better- the ceiling is higher if each unit grows together.

Granted it could’ve been something that was going around this year because the lack of overall talent, though. I see that side but agree bigger and deeper bench is much better. Feel like strong teams that have a key injury mid year only get stronger end of year when the injured player is back because the playing time others got when they otherwise wouldn’t. And Uconn this year seemed to have a never ending list of contributors. Depth is huge

[XUBison]

I’m not sure where exactly I saw or heard this- but I think Sean mentioned liking to play a very short rotation. Basically keeping a short rotation helps those units build and develop as a group (chemistry, etc) and instead of each guy growing and helping the team get better- the ceiling is higher if each unit grows together.

Granted it could’ve been something that was going around this year because the lack of overall talent, though. I see that side but agree bigger and deeper bench is much better. Feel like strong teams that have a key injury mid year only get stronger end of year when the injured player is back because the playing time others got when they otherwise wouldn’t. And Uconn this year seemed to have a never ending list of contributors. Depth is huge

I can’t speak for his time in Arizona, but it seems to me Sean went deep into the bench during his first go round at X. My memory is that it was sort of a calling card to go 8–10 deep, especially with those last couple really good teams. Is this the Mandela effect playing tricks on me again?

[paulxu]

I find it interesting that UConn finished 4th in the BE, and then proceeded to win the dance.
Relative to the point above, they had 9 guys in double digit minutes , with no one getting over 29/game.
After the 9, the next guy got 3 min/game.

We had 3 guys over 30 minutes. Many a game I wished for a deeper bench as we often seemed to run out of steam late.
With Zach missing 15 games, we did real well. Think we'd have gone deeper with him.

[XUBison]

I don’t think hunter will start. I think it will be olivari, Claude, McKnight and then free, and north Texas big man.

Hunter, craft, green definitely in the rotation. And then three or 4 guys fighting for that last rotational spot. It’s nice that it seems x will have some depth next year

Don’t you think Shawn will start Hunter, the fifth year guy who earned it last season and remained loyal by coming back again for next season? It seems like his style. I mean, he started Tandy at the beginning of last season, because he said he earned it in preseason practice.

We also thought we were going to have more depth before last season started. I’m not counting on Claude or Craft. Claude showed flashes last season, but not much more than that. His role seemed like one of necessity more than anything else. And Craft showed, well not much of anything. I’m not saying both won’t be big contributors, but there’s not much evidence to suggest it’s a certainty. We can assume they will take major steps forward, but that obviously isn’t always the case

[Xville]

Don’t you think Shawn will start Hunter, the fifth year guy who earned it last season and remained loyal by coming back again for next season? It seems like his style. I mean, he started Tandy at the beginning of last season, because he said he earned it in preseason practice.

We also thought we were going to have more depth before last season started. I’m not counting on Claude or Craft. Claude showed flashes last season, but not much more than that. His role seemed like one of necessity more than anything else. And Craft showed, well not much of anything. I’m not saying both won’t be big contributors, but there’s not much evidence to suggest it’s a certainty. We can assume they will take major steps forward, but that obviously isn’t always the case

I see Claude as basically a jones clone once he plays a couple years. He’s very long, does a little bit of everything and just needs to work on his jumper, much like jones did. I think he could be our next draft pick.

In terms of hunter, I think ousmane or whatever his name is, is a great compliment to free. He’s all d, and x needs that guy in the middle, if you don’t have him inside, I think that’s a challenge. Not saying hunter isn’t a good player, he is, I just think it’s more valuable off th bench as an energy type sixth man.

[xudash]

I agree with the idea the Claude will come in and take over where Jones left off, at least mostly.

I vividly recall many instances where he drove into the lane and softly floated a 10 footer or less with relative ease into the hoop. He’s very smooth.

[xu82]

I agree with the idea the Claude will come in and take over where Jones left off, at least mostly.

I vividly recall many instances where he drove into the lane and softly floated a 10 footer or less with relative ease into the hoop. He’s very smooth.

I agree as well. He seems to have all the ability he needs, but maybe lacked a little confidence. Now it can be his turn. My son was here during a game last season and he broke into an ongoing conversation with “Whoa! Who is that guy?” It was Claude after making a defender look stupid and draining a 12 footer.

[XUGRAD80]

I see Claude as at least an early season starter, if for no other reason than his familiarity with the system. How well the new players grasp the system, and how quickly, will probably determine how much they play. Sure they are talented, but can they play well with the others? There’s no single player on the roster that I can see that could carry the team every game, and that you build around. There are a lot of very good players, but how successful they are may well depend on how well they can play together. I can’t remember Miller ever going 9-10 deep regularly with any of his teams. But only time will tell if that happens this year. He says that he has changed his offensive philosophy since he was last coaching. Last year injuries and lack of talent certainly hampered how deep X could go, I certainly hope that doesn’t repeat this year. If it doesn’t, he may have the talent to go 9-10 deep and may choose to do so. Only time will tell.

[XUBison]

…I can’t remember Miller ever going 9-10 deep regularly with any of his teams….

We had nine guys average more than 10 minutes per game in 2008–09. Eight averaged 10 mpg in 2007-08, with a ninth averaging more than eight mpg.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/xavier/men/2009.html

[XUGRAD80]

We had nine guys average more than 10 minutes per game in 2008–09. Eight averaged 10 mpg in 2007-08, with a ninth averaging more than eight mpg.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/xavier/men/2009.html

Good information. As I said, “I can’t remember”. But that same thing could be said about a lot of things these days. :bash: :lol:


My guess is that Miller tries many different combinations during the early season and that in many cases who starts a game may not be near as important as who finishes it.

[GIMMFD]

Anyone with a hard-on that lasts for more than 4 hours should see a physician…..or a psychiatrist. :-)
If any of you showed up to my office with a hard-on, I would immediately call security to escort you out, except for American X, he can stay. Or I may have prescribed you Trazadone and now you have priapism. Either or of course.


I honestly thought Odom and Tandy were going to be the next Lyons and Holloway. And I wonder if they could have been under Miller.

Honestly same, I was super excited with how highly ranked Odom was too. I don't know if it's recency bias or things are changing, but it felt like top 100 recruits in the past were higher impact and now unless they're in the top 20 or so you may not be hearing as much buzz from these higher four star tier guys. I'm sure the way the portal and NIL has been established has played into this, and honestly I think getting transfers is the best way to fill out a roster, but it's hard for me to get excited anymore about a high four-star recruit which I realize how absolutely insane that sounds out loud.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I don’t think hunter will start. I think it will be olivari, Claude, McKnight and then free, and north Texas big man.

Hunter, craft, green definitely in the rotation. And then three or 4 guys fighting for that last rotational spot. It’s nice that it seems x will have some depth next year

Exactly how I see the starting lineup. I don't think Free and Hunter can start at the 4/5 together and I don't think Hunter can start at the 3.

Not to say there won't ever be mins where those things happen, just not regularly/majority/starting.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Consensus here seems to be that Miller will play with a short bench once we get into the meat of the schedule. While I acknowledge that this view fits his past behavior, the consensus view, in many areas, is often wrong. For example, at the end of 2021-2022 season, two consensus views were that there was no spot in the lineup for Hunter and that Kunkel wasn't B.E. quality. Those views proved to be off the mark......widely so.

So, I'm betting that Miller plays as many as ten guys next year. He seems to have the talent (although admittedly we tend to generally over-value the contribution of freshman). Still, I'm betting most of you are wrong. I guess we will find out.

I think 8 guys in the rotation is a guarantee, and it could likely be 9.

I think it is more likely only 8 guys are in the rotation than 10 however. That is barring another transfer addition with our remaining open spot.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I can’t speak for his time in Arizona, but it seems to me Sean went deep into the bench during his first go round at X. My memory is that it was sort of a calling card to go 8–10 deep, especially with those last couple really good teams. Is this the Mandela effect playing tricks on me again?

I think I posted on this thread or another Miller was typically 8-9 deep at X previously. Depended on the year. I don't think he ever truly went 10 deep though.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Don’t you think Shawn will start Hunter, the fifth year guy who earned it last season and remained loyal by coming back again for next season? It seems like his style. I mean, he started Tandy at the beginning of last season, because he said he earned it in preseason practice.

We also thought we were going to have more depth before last season started. I’m not counting on Claude or Craft. Claude showed flashes last season, but not much more than that. His role seemed like one of necessity more than anything else. And Craft showed, well not much of anything. I’m not saying both won’t be big contributors, but there’s not much evidence to suggest it’s a certainty. We can assume they will take major steps forward, but that obviously isn’t always the case

1. No, I don't think he will start Hunter. It doesn't make sense to me given the makeup of the lineup. I could be wrong, but I see Hunter coming off the bench, a role he thrived in last year before the Free injury.

2. I can't understand how anyone who watched last year could have the opinion they would not expect much contribution from Calude next year. That is rally a mind boggling opinion. Kid was a freshman, and the lack of depth forced him into big mins, yes, but he showed some unreal ability at times. To think Miller won't have him making a big soph jump is just crazy to me. I think Claude starts at the 3.

[xu82]

1. No, I don't think he will start Hunter. It doesn't make sense to me given the makeup of the lineup. I could be wrong, but I see Hunter coming off the bench, a role he thrived in last year before the Free injury.

2. I can't understand how anyone who watched last year could have the opinion they would not expect much contribution from Calude next year. That is rally a mind boggling opinion. Kid was a freshman, and the lack of depth forced him into big mins, yes, but he showed some unreal ability at times. To think Miller won't have him making a big soph jump is just crazy to me. I think Claude starts at the 3.

I don’t know if Hunter starts, but he will be a glue guy for serious minutes. I loved what he did last year after being mis-coached the year before. I have to see who these guys are and how they play together before having any idea of what to think for next year.

I’m with you on Claude. I think he has amazing upside! The ceiling is high for him, and I bet Sean gets him there.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I don’t know if Hunter starts, but he will be a glue guy for serious minutes. I loved what he did last year after being mis-coached the year before. I have to see who these guys are and how they play together before having any idea of what to think for next year.

I’m with you on Claude. I think he has amazing upside! The ceiling is high for him, and I bet Sean gets him there.

Hunter will def have a huge role and play big mins whether he starts or not.

[xu82]

Hunter will def have a huge role and play big mins whether he starts or not.

The guys he puts on the floor at the end of the game says more than the guys on the floor at the tip.

[XUBison]

The guys he puts on the floor at the end of the game says more than the guys on the floor at the tip.

That is why I think Hunter will start, at least at the beginning of the season.

[XUBison]

1. No, I don't think he will start Hunter. It doesn't make sense to me given the makeup of the lineup. I could be wrong, but I see Hunter coming off the bench, a role he thrived in last year before the Free injury.

2. I can't understand how anyone who watched last year could have the opinion they would not expect much contribution from Calude next year. That is rally a mind boggling opinion. Kid was a freshman, and the lack of depth forced him into big mins, yes, but he showed some unreal ability at times. To think Miller won't have him making a big soph jump is just crazy to me. I think Claude starts at the 3.

Here’s a quote from my post, “I’m not saying both won’t be big contributors…” Claude showed Signs of upside, I agree. He also was more than a little rough around the edges. That is what we’ve seen, so hope for whatever you wish, but I’m not “expecting” more than what we know. That’s all I’m saying, crazy as such a controversial take might be.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Here’s a quote from my post, “I’m not saying both won’t be big contributors…” Claude showed Signs of upside, I agree. He also was more than a little rough around the edges. That is what we’ve seen, so hope for whatever you wish, but I’m not “expecting” more than what we know. That’s all I’m saying, crazy as such a controversial take might be.

"I’m not counting on Claude or Craft. Claude showed flashes last season, but not much more than that."

This is what I found confusing. Linking Claude, a guy who played in 35/37 games averaging 20.8 mins per game (same as Hunter), with Craft, who played in 15/37 games and under 7 mins in those 15 games.

Not sure I unde3rstand that. I hope Craft contributes next year, and think he can, but fair to say we can't count on it. Des Claude, however, played a pretty big role and was probably a top 2 defender on the team. He had stupid freshman moments and was too hesitant or passive at times for sure, but again, a freshman. I would have figured we all saw enough out of him to expect him to be a pretty big contributor moving forward with this team.

[xu82]

"I’m not counting on Claude or Craft. Claude showed flashes last season, but not much more than that."

This is what I found confusing. Linking Claude, a guy who played in 35/37 games averaging 20.8 mins per game (same as Hunter), with Craft, who played in 15/37 games and under 7 mins in those 15 games.

Not sure I unde3rstand that. I hope Craft contributes next year, and think he can, but fair to say we can't count on it. Des Claude, however, played a pretty big role and was probably a top 2 defender on the team. He had stupid freshman moments and was too hesitant or passive at times for sure, but again, a freshman. I would have figured we all saw enough out of him to expect him to be a pretty big contributor moving forward with this team.

I’m completely with you on Claude. I love his ceiling, he just needs to feel like he belongs out there and let it all slow down for him. He’s got the tools.

[MHettel]

Freshman Stats for 4 players:

22 mpg, 5.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.2 apg, 35.0% FG, 32.7% 3PT, .7 Spg, 1.9 Topg
21 mpg, 4.7 ppg, 2.5 Rpg, 1.8 Apg, 42.3% FG, 29.3% 3PT, .8 Spg, 1.5 ToPg
17 mpg, 4.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 45.5% FG, 30.4% 3Pt, .5 Stl, 1.4 Topg
24 mpg, 5.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, 35.0% FG, 25.5% 3Pt, .9 Spg, 1.9 Topg

Those players are Claude, Scruggs, Goodin, and Holloway. Not in that order.

[XUBison]

"I’m not counting on Claude or Craft. Claude showed flashes last season, but not much more than that."

This is what I found confusing. Linking Claude, a guy who played in 35/37 games averaging 20.8 mins per game (same as Hunter), with Craft, who played in 15/37 games and under 7 mins in those 15 games.

Not sure I unde3rstand that. I hope Craft contributes next year, and think he can, but fair to say we can't count on it. Des Claude, however, played a pretty big role and was probably a top 2 defender on the team. He had stupid freshman moments and was too hesitant or passive at times for sure, but again, a freshman. I would have figured we all saw enough out of him to expect him to be a pretty big contributor moving forward with this team.

I’m only connecting the two in as much as others are projecting them both to take big steps forward next year. We do this every year, where we assume each player is going to take huge strides, when the reality is most players make marginal improvements at best from year to year. The context regarding Claude was whether he or Hunter will start. Will Claude be in the mix to start? Sure, but Hunter and the two incoming guards are all older, more experienced, and have more proven track records of productivity. I suspect the transfers would not be coming if they were not all but assured starting positions. The fact Hunter stuck around probably implies the same for him. If we’re going to get into semantics about what a “big contributor” is, Claude will have to become much more productive to take playing time away from those three guys. Maybe he will, or maybe one or more of those three guys will disappoint, but projecting that is nothing more than conjecture.

I guess I assume an off-season conversation about who will start is a projection of what will happen at the season’s outset. You could very well be right that Claude is a better fit than Hunter at the three, or that Claude will tear it up right out of the gate, but my own conjecture is Shawn will let a few games play out either way before moving Hunter to the bench. I don’t think anything I’m saying suggests I don’t like Claude or think he could be an excellent player. Who knows, maybe Shawn will surprise us both by getting funky by sticking Zach at the five to start the season. :)

[muskiefan82]

Maybe the starting five will be the best group vs. the five the other team puts out there and will vary from game to game, but the minutes overall will be spread and the crunch time minutes will show you who coach has the most faith in.

[XUBison]

Freshman Stats for 4 players:

22 mpg, 5.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.2 apg, 35.0% FG, 32.7% 3PT, .7 Spg, 1.9 Topg
21 mpg, 4.7 ppg, 2.5 Rpg, 1.8 Apg, 42.3% FG, 29.3% 3PT, .8 Spg, 1.5 ToPg
17 mpg, 4.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 45.5% FG, 30.4% 3Pt, .5 Stl, 1.4 Topg
24 mpg, 5.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, 35.0% FG, 25.5% 3Pt, .9 Spg, 1.9 Topg

Those players are Claude, Scruggs, Goodin, and Holloway. Not in that order.

Yep, many freshmen guards are not very productive.

[MHettel]

Yep, many freshmen guards are not very productive.

Or another way to interpret that is to see that they can turn into something much better than what we saw as Freshmen....

[Masterofreality]

Xavier is looking at Andrew Taylor, a 6:3 guard from Marshall who averaged 20.2 ppg last year and transferring. But lots of competition for his services
Late edit: The roster is not complete, per really good source.

[muskiefan82]

Xavier is looking at Andrew Taylor, a 6:3 guard from Marshall who averaged 20.2 ppg last year and transferring. But lots of competition for his services
Late edit: The roster is not complete, per really good source.

Doesn't the portal close in less than 2 hours or is this just the deadline to enter without a year lost?

[XUGRAD80]

Doesn't the portal close in less than 2 hours or is this just the deadline to enter without a year lost?
Deadline to enter, but still might take a few days to get some paperwork straightened out for a few people

[GoMuskies]

Xavier is looking at Andrew Taylor, a 6:3 guard from Marshall who averaged 20.2 ppg last year and transferring. But lots of competition for his services
Late edit: The roster is not complete, per really good source.

Another Sheriff? That would be great!

[xavierj]

Xavier is looking at Andrew Taylor, a 6:3 guard from Marshall who averaged 20.2 ppg last year and transferring. But lots of competition for his services
Late edit: The roster is not complete, per really good source.

If they add another guy I don’t think Taylor is it. I also wouldn’t want him. Yes he scored over 20 a game, but took 19 shots to do it. That’s borderline ball hog territory.

[muskiefan82]

Anyone know if X has looked at Nkamhoua from Tennessee? He seems like a good fit for what is needed in my opinion (which means little most of the time.) LOL

[xukeith]

Kentucky also wants Taylor. Per Twitter.

[xukeith]

agree

[Xville]

Why would x want another guard? That makes zero sense. Already have 12 guys on scholarship at this point too…is x going to redshirt a kid or two?

[xavierj]

Why would x want another guard? That makes zero sense. Already have 12 guys on scholarship at this point too…is x going to redshirt a kid or two?

I don’t think they do. I think they would be more likely to get David Jones, who I would love. Guy has averaged over 14pts, 7 boards the last two years, is 6’6” and super athletic. Think he would fit in nicely on this team. Has not been a great 3 shooter, but I think that is more the type of shots he was forced to take with DePaul and St. John’s. He is a scorer and a good defender.

[Xville]

I don’t think they do. I think they would be more likely to get David Jones, who I would love. Guy has averaged over 14pts, 7 boards the last two years, is 6’6” and super athletic. Think he would fit in nicely on this team. Has not been a great 3 shooter, but I think that is more the type of shots he was forced to take with DePaul and St. John’s. He is a scorer and a good defender.

Have always loved his game and I agree with a better squad and a better coach he could really flourish. X could really use the athleticism.

[paulxu]

For the old people here, get that guy and in the building there would be a Davy Jones locker.

[X Matters]

And would there be Monkee's in that locker?

[MHettel]

And would there be Monkee's in that locker?

These jokes are great. I'm Kraken up

[Smooth]

These jokes are great. I'm Kraken up

Yeah, those guys are the Stars of this thread.

[bjf123]

And would there be Monkee's in that locker?

I’m a believer.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[X-band '01]

Are you also a Stepping Stone?

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

Xavier is looking at Andrew Taylor, a 6:3 guard from Marshall who averaged 20.2 ppg last year and transferring. But lots of competition for his services
Late edit: The roster is not complete, per really good source.

I cannot wait until Huggins and this silly stuff fades into the background and we get back to conversing about Xavier basketball.

David Jones is a nice enough player, athletic, etc. But I don't see that he fills an existing need on the current roster. Certainly, Taylor doesn't add anything we don't seem to already possess, in spades.

I'd be interested to know if Miller has a specific role in mind, assuming per MOR's comment that he is still looking. Or, does he just take the best available? Seems like we could still use a "Power 4". I cannot be confident about Free. Not that I don't believe he is healthy----its just that his particular type of injury may persist. If it does, other than Hunter, we really don't have a replacement. And, while Hunter can score in the paint (and rebound; and do a lot of things) he isn't the post up scorer or power rebounder that Free is.

So, will be interesting to see how the last scholarship is used.

[paulxu]

Are you also a Stepping Stone?

He's on the last train to Clarksville.

[UCGRAD4X]

I’m a believer.

but it's only a Daydream

[bjf123]

Are you also a Stepping Stone?

I-I-I-I-I'm not your steppin' stone!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[xukeith]

I cannot wait until Huggins and this silly stuff fades into the background and we get back to conversing about Xavier basketball.

David Jones is a nice enough player, athletic, etc. But I don't see that he fills an existing need on the current roster. Certainly, Taylor doesn't add anything we don't seem to already possess, in spades.

I'd be interested to know if Miller has a specific role in mind, assuming per MOR's comment that he is still looking. Or, does he just take the best available? Seems like we could still use a "Power 4". I cannot be confident about Free. Not that I don't believe he is healthy----its just that his particular type of injury may persist. If it does, other than Hunter, we really don't have a replacement. And, while Hunter can score in the paint (and rebound; and do a lot of things) he isn't the post up scorer or power rebounder that Free is.

So, will be interesting to see how the last scholarship is used.

I think X needs another shooter especially someone 6'5-6'7 to play the 3 and compete with Craft and Claude.

[Masterofreality]

Xavier is looking at Andrew Taylor, a 6:3 guard from Marshall who averaged 20.2 ppg last year and transferring. But lots of competition for his services
Late edit: The roster is not complete, per really good source.

Andrew Taylor will Sheriff at Mississippi State.

[xu82]

Andrew Taylor will Sheriff at Mississippi State.

Is Barney the Assistant Coach?

[GoMuskies]

Is Barney the Assistant Coach?

Barney Fife (Chris Jans) is actually the head coach.

[GoMuskies]

Things are getting a little goofy in college hoops now. 26 year old Seth Towns is in the portal and will be entering his 8th season in college basketball. He might have two years of eligibility left.

[muskiefan82]

Things are getting a little goofy in college hoops now. 26 year old Seth Towns is in the portal and will be entering his 8th season in college basketball. He might have two years of eligibility left.

Is that a record or is there someone out there who was actually older playing college basketball?

[Boro Muskie]

Is that a record or is there someone out there who was actually older playing college basketball?

Greg Oden, still too soon?

[XUBison]

Greg Oden, still too soon?

Yeah, he’s got to be like 70 now.

[xukeith]

Yeah, he’s got to be like 70 now.

I think some international athletes come from countries with zero birth records so likely there has been a 30 year old player who didn't know he was 30.

[bobbiemcgee]

https://247sports.com/Season/2023-Basketball/TransferTeamRankings/

[GoMuskies]

Arthur Kaluma is still out there? Let's go get him.

[Xville]

Caleb love back on the market because Michigan wouldn’t let him in…. Yikes. Time for Europe.

[muskiefan82]

Caleb love back on the market because Michigan wouldn’t let him in…. Yikes. Time for Europe.

That says a LOT of things if Michigan can't make it work

[muskiefan82]

Caleb love back on the market because Michigan wouldn’t let him in…. Yikes. Time for Europe.

That says a LOT of things if Michigan can't make it work

[XUGRAD80]

Caleb love back on the market because Michigan wouldn’t let him in…. Yikes. Time for Europe.

Not enough of his classes from NC would transfer for him to have the credits necessary? What, Michigan doesn’t have a recreational sports degree program? How to score bowling doesn’t work as a math requirement? Or does Michigan actually expect its athletes to actually show up for a class more than 1X a semester?

Says more about NC than it does about Michigan, that’s for sure.

[muskiefan82]

Not enough of his classes from NC would transfer for him to have the credits necessary? What, Michigan doesn’t have a recreational sports degree program? How to score bowling doesn’t work as a math requirement? Or does Michigan actually expect its athletes to actually show up for a class more than 1X a semester?

Says more about NC than it does about Michigan, that’s for sure.

Exactly. Says a LOT about UNC and Caleb Love

[murray87]

Doesn't the portal officially close sometime soon?

[94GRAD]

Doesn't the portal officially close sometime soon?

It closed May 11th

[muskiefan82]

Doesn't the portal officially close sometime soon?

It closed for new entries, but I don't know when it closes for good

[Uncle Joe]

Kind of transfer related. Nice interview with Xavier's Director of Recruiting Ryan Anderson. Some pretty interesting insights here: https://247sports.com/college/xavier/article/xavier-musketeers-director-recruiting-ryan-anderson-podcast-take-210601791/

[xu82]

Kind of transfer related. Nice interview with Xavier's Director of Recruiting Ryan Anderson. Some pretty interesting insights here: https://247sports.com/college/xavier/article/xavier-musketeers-director-recruiting-ryan-anderson-podcast-take-210601791/

I like this little shot he takes and assume some recruits won’t love this idea: “there are guys that fit more of the Villanova style of slow, walk-it-up and shoot 3s.” ��

[Masterofreality]

Per Joe Tipton:
“ St. John’s transfer David Jones tells me he’s heard from the following schools (among others) since entering the portal:

Kentucky
Memphis
Xavier
UConn
Arkansas”

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

Per Joe Tipton:
“ St. John’s transfer David Jones tells me he’s heard from the following schools (among others) since entering the portal:

Kentucky
Memphis
Xavier
UConn
Arkansas”

Very athletic "3". Southpaw as I recall. Don't know about the other schools pursuing him but UConn can offer him visible path to significant playing time. Just don't see him landing here. Wonder our level of seriousness in contacting him.

[xavierj]

Very athletic "3". Southpaw as I recall. Don't know about the other schools pursuing him but UConn can offer him visible path to significant playing time. Just don't see him landing here. Wonder our level of seriousness in contacting him.

UConn has a loaded class coming in and a lot of guys coming back so not sure how ideal UConn is for him. Xavier has been talking to him for awhile but everyone is waiting because he would have to graduate to be able to play right away. He has only been in school 2.5 years so graduating by the summer may be tough.

[JTG]

Either he is real smart, or is on some fast tracked bogus degree program.

[xu82]

Either he is real smart, or is on some fast tracked bogus degree program.

This is not about him as a person or his school, but general commentary on the system: A college degree, if treated like a job, should not take more than 2.5 years. You don’t need a month off for winter break or free summers. I guess that extra time is used to grow up in general, but working more might speed that up.

[XUGRAD80]

This is not about him as a person or his school, but general commentary on the system: A college degree, if treated like a job, should not take more than 2.5 years. You don’t need a month off for winter break or free summers. I guess that extra time is used to grow up in general, but working more might speed that up.


Some of us needed the summers off in order to actually work a JOB. That job paid for going to school the rest of the time. :). However, lots of scholarship athletes do go to school year round and get their degrees in 3 years or less. Nunge was a perfect example of this.

[xu82]

Some of us needed the summers off in order to actually work a JOB. That job paid for going to school the rest of the time. :). However, lots of scholarship athletes do go to school year round and get their degrees in 3 years or less. Nunge was a perfect example of this.

I get that. I worked summers, and I worked during school. For many people that’s not the way. I still had a ton of time to screw around. Ask anyone who knows me. :-)

[muskiefan82]

This is not about him as a person or his school, but general commentary on the system: A college degree, if treated like a job, should not take more than 2.5 years. You don’t need a month off for winter break or free summers. I guess that extra time is used to grow up in general, but working more might speed that up.

Both of my kids are in engineering programs that required Co-op/Internships that extended the time in school, but also helped pay for it. Granted, the majority of scholarship athletes are not in engineering, but there are some. Probably.

[xu82]

I’ve posted this here before, but we have a family friend who was President of Ford Europe, and later Dean of the business school of Boston University. Obviously, every situation is different, but he makes a compelling argument for making education more efficient, like a factory. You don’t close the factory for a month for Christmas or spring break.

I’m not blaming the kids, especially those who need to work to pay for college and make ends meet, but our system is FAR from efficient. And this starts at an age well before some might have to pay for their own college expenses. It’s actually a burden for working parents of younger kids when they have so much time off.

EDIT: Now back to our regularly scheduled transfer portal thread.


.

[Masterofreality]

I’ve posted this here before, but we have a family friend who was President of Ford Europe, and later Dean of the business school of Boston University. Obviously, every situation is different, but he makes a compelling argument for making education more efficient, like a factory. You don’t close the factory for a month for Christmas or spring break.

I’m not blaming the kids, especially those who need to work to pay for college and make ends meet, but our system is FAR from efficient. And this starts at an age well before some might have to pay for their own college expenses. It’s actually a burden for working parents of younger kids when they have so much time off.

EDIT: Now back to our regularly scheduled transfer portal thread.


.

But as a former Ford employee. We did close for 10 days between Christmas & New Years. ;-)

[GoMuskies]

And two weeks in the summer!

[Masterofreality]

And two weeks in the summer!

IF you were blue collar. Us non union guys didn’t get that break.

[GoMuskies]

IF you were blue collar. Us non union guys didn’t get that break.

Oh, you fancy boys actually got to pick when you went on vacation! :)

[X-man]

Some of us needed the summers off in order to actually work a JOB. That job paid for going to school the rest of the time. :). However, lots of scholarship athletes do go to school year round and get their degrees in 3 years or less. Nunge was a perfect example of this.

I was in the same boat. My parents couldn't afford to help out on the cost of going to college, so I worked summers waiting tables in the Hamptons. Made enough money to have a blast living on the beach with a legal drinking age of 18, and to pay my own way through four years of undergraduate school. Fortunately got a full ride (tuition and living expenses) that covered all five years of grad school.

[xu82]

I was in the same boat. My parents couldn't afford to help out on the cost of going to college, so I worked summers waiting tables in the Hamptons. Made enough money to have a blast living on the beach with a legal drinking age of 18, and to pay my own way through four years of undergraduate school. Fortunately got a full ride (tuition and living expenses) that covered all five years of grad school.

Unfortunately, college has become so expensive you’d have to work as a cardiologist in the Hamptons all summer to pay for it now!

[paulxu]

Richmond forward Tyler Burton is in the portal, and Providence and UConn are named as 2 of 8 leading contenders.
Wish we were on this guy. Might be a perfect replacement for Colby.

[smileyy]

Remember when you *could* pay for an in-state college degree while working a part-time job?

[bjf123]

Remember when you *could* pay for an in-state college degree while working a part-time job?

Those days are long gone!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[xu82]

Remember when you *could* pay for an in-state college degree while working a part-time job?

My how things have changed! The in-state schools were almost looked down upon at one time. Now, because they are more affordable, only the very top students stand a chance of getting into them.

[bobbiemcgee]

I think it was 30 a credit hour my freshman year.

[xu82]

I think it was 30 a credit hour my freshman year.

OK, I did some quick math making some crude assumptions, and even adjusted for “normal” inflation, that’s pretty amazing.

[Masterofreality]

Kalkbrenner back to Creighton.
We need scarecrow defense again

[Xville]

I believe tomorrow is the last day one can pull out of the draft. Wondering what kaluma will do or maybe he’s already decided? Would love that guy on x.

[noteggs]

Yes, I think they have one day to decide. My best guess is he’ll probably just transfer and skip the draft. I know Alexander is still undecided and may return to CU.

[XUMIOH12]

I believe tomorrow is the last day one can pull out of the draft. Wondering what kaluma will do or maybe he’s already decided? Would love that guy on x.

Either way, he's not coming to Xavier

[Xville]

Either way, he's not coming to Xavier

Yeah I know chances are 0.0 just would be amazing to have that kind of player added to the roster :)

[XUBison]

Yeah I know chances are 0.0 just would be amazing to have that kind of player added to the roster :)

On the pipe-dream front, Grant Nelson just withdrew from the NBA draft.

[paulxu]

We really should have worked on Burton from Richmond. Now seems like Nova wants him.

[noteggs]

Nova wants him and got him…

[XUBison]

Nova wants him and got him…

Nova is loaded.

[muskiefan82]

Nova is loaded.

The BEast is alive and well

[paulxu]

Nova wants him and got him…

Well crap. Sorry, I think he would have really been a nice fit for Colby's slot.

[Masterofreality]

Zyon Pullin, a UC Riverside transfer, narrowed his list to Xavier, Florida, Gonzaga, LSU and Michigan, according to a report Wednesday from Joe Tipton for on3.com.
Pullin, a 6-foot-4 guard who entered the transfer portal earlier this month as a graduate student, has played the past four seasons for the Highlanders.
As a senior, he averaged 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 33.9 minutes per game in 29 games and was named first-team All-Big West. He shot 48.6 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from 3-point range.

[xavierj]

Xavier getting a visit today from someone.

[JTG]

Xavier getting a visit today from someone.

David Jones St Johns

[Xville]

David Jones St Johns

Exactly the kind of player the roster needs for next year. Get it done sean!

[webxu]

David Jones would be an interesting get, i recall him having a big game vs X. If he ends up at X we would be his 3rd BE school.. wonder if that would be a record. Depaul, SJU... X?

[MHettel]

Jones’ stats are not good. Very low shooting %, doesn’t get to the line, lots of fouls and turnovers.

How good were DePaul and SJU with him? Pitino didn’t want him.

I’m obviously skeptical. But I do trust Miller

[xavierj]

Jones’ stats are not good. Very low shooting %, doesn’t get to the line, lots of fouls and turnovers.

How good were DePaul and SJU with him? Pitino didn’t want him.

I’m obviously skeptical. But I do trust Miller

He is 6’6” and athletic, good defender, good rebounder. Averaged 2.3 offensive rebounds per game, which would have been 2nd behind Nunge on last years Xavier team. Went for 33 against Louisville two years ago going 15-22 in a win. Scored 33 of the 62. Has averaged over 18 a game against Xavier in his career. He would be a great fit.

[MHettel]

He is 6’6” and athletic, good defender, good rebounder. Averaged 2.3 offensive rebounds per game, which would have been 2nd behind Nunge on last years Xavier team. Went for 33 against Louisville two years ago going 15-22 in a win. Scored 33 of the 62. Has averaged over 18 a game against Xavier in his career. He would be a great fit.

for 6'6", he is a good rebounder. And, i cant see his defensive skills by looking at his "counting stats." Its really hard to conclude much when it comes to a guy that played in Mike Anderson's pressing style. Were the OReb numbers a result of him having a "nose" for the ball and having good position, or did Anderson just tag him as the designated guy that was supposed to crash the boards on every shot that was put up? I mentioned the fouls and TOs, but again maybe that just a byproduct of the style. i see the 45% 2-pt shooting and not getting to the line very often as a problem. add in the sub 30% 3 pt shooting... I just dont want a guy that is offensively inefficient but scores 13 a game in 26 minutes. thats ALOT of offense running through one guy.

Frankly, he reminds me of Jerome Hunter a little bit. And I LIKE (last years version of ) Hunter, but we already HAVE Hunter.

But as I look across this roster, I dont see NEARLY enough shooting. I'd really rather us pursue a more capable deep shooter.

I'm sure Jones is a nice player, and would have a nice role on many teams. I'm not seeing the fit though on next years XU team.

[xavierj]

for 6'6", he is a good rebounder. And, i cant see his defensive skills by looking at his "counting stats." Its really hard to conclude much when it comes to a guy that played in Mike Anderson's pressing style. Were the OReb numbers a result of him having a "nose" for the ball and having good position, or did Anderson just tag him as the designated guy that was supposed to crash the boards on every shot that was put up? I mentioned the fouls and TOs, but again maybe that just a byproduct of the style. i see the 45% 2-pt shooting and not getting to the line very often as a problem. add in the sub 30% 3 pt shooting... I just dont want a guy that is offensively inefficient but scores 13 a game in 26 minutes. thats ALOT of offense running through one guy.

Frankly, he reminds me of Jerome Hunter a little bit. And I LIKE (last years version of ) Hunter, but we already HAVE Hunter.

But as I look across this roster, I dont see NEARLY enough shooting. I'd really rather us pursue a more capable deep shooter.

I'm sure Jones is a nice player, and would have a nice role on many teams. I'm not seeing the fit though on next years XU team.

That’s interesting. I don’t see any similarities between his game and hunters. Jones likes to have the ball in his hands a lot more than Hunter. He is also lefty and built completely different. More of an open floor kind of guy. He is more of a guard to be honest.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

That’s interesting. I don’t see any similarities between his game and hunters. Jones likes to have the ball in his hands a lot more than Hunter. He is also lefty and built completely different. More of an open floor kind of guy. He is more of a guard to be honest.

Would I take Jones? Sure. But I agree with Hettel. He seems to need the ball in his hands a lot and although he's athletic and fun to watch, he's not a great shooter, particularly from outside the arc. I just don't know whose minutes he would take. The UC Riverside guy identified by MOR seems a better fit. Still, as an earlier poster said, I'll trust Miller whatever he does.

[Xville]

Would I take Jones? Sure. But I agree with Hettel. He seems to need the ball in his hands a lot and although he's athletic and fun to watch, he's not a great shooter, particularly from outside the arc. I just don't know whose minutes he would take. The UC Riverside guy identified by MOR seems a better fit. Still, as an earlier poster said, I'll trust Miller whatever he does.

I like the athleticism he brings, it is something the roster needs.. we got a little more athletic in the transfer portal with the guards but x is still pretty behind other teams in that department. He’d probably be a backup three/four. I’m not sold that craft is going to be anything more than a role player, and he’d be an instant upgrade over him. The others in that position are freshmen.

I do agree though that shooting may also be a concern. Lots of unknowns for next year, but I’m excited to see a team that miller has started to put together on his own.

[xavierj]

Would I take Jones? Sure. But I agree with Hettel. He seems to need the ball in his hands a lot and although he's athletic and fun to watch, he's not a great shooter, particularly from outside the arc. I just don't know whose minutes he would take. The UC Riverside guy identified by MOR seems a better fit. Still, as an earlier poster said, I'll trust Miller whatever he does.

I understand what you are saying but Jones averaged over 3 years around 12 pts 6 boards in the Big East. The other guy from UC Riverside has played poor competition and when he has played good teams, his stats show he has struggled. He is also a guard and and I am not sure Xavier needs another guard. Xavier needs someone who can play the three and guard Big East caliber players. Jones hasn’t been a great three point shooter but he seems to be able to do everything else and he is a scorer. At this point you are not getting a guy who can do it all. Any way, Xavier wants him as does Kentucky, but it sounds like he may end up at Memphis.

[MHettel]

I understand what you are saying but Jones averaged over 3 years around 12 pts 6 boards in the Big East. The other guy from UC Riverside has played poor competition and when he has played good teams, his stats show he has struggled. He is also a guard and and I am not sure Xavier needs another guard. Xavier needs someone who can play the three and guard Big East caliber players. Jones hasn’t been a great three point shooter but he seems to be able to do everything else and he is a scorer. At this point you are not getting a guy who can do it all. Any way, Xavier wants him as does Kentucky, but it sounds like he may end up at Memphis.

I started a deep math analysis of SJU with Jones on the floor vs when he wasn't. the takeaway is that his per minute scoring was much higher than the team, and that SJU scored more when he was playing than when he was not. But I dont think that proved much., Most teams have a guy like that.

Then I was going to compare him to Souley Boum, and found that Jones actually scored MORE points per minute (by a long shot .512 vs .463)) than Boum and took WAY more shots per minute (.505 vs .324) than Boum did to accomplish it.

Boum took 20 more shots than Jones. Boum played 507 more minutes.

Xu played 4 more games than SJU last year and had 155 more assists. SJU as a team averaged .075 Assists per minute. Xu as a team averaged .088 per minute.

Jones averaged .061 per minute.

So obviously, when Jones was on the court they scored more, and just as obvious is taht fact that it was HIM that was scoring more.

Whats also obvious is that XU was in the top 5 in the country in assist last year and had a "share the ball" mentality. The defense was horrible, and yet the offense carried us to a 27-10 record. on paper, our backcourt transfers seem to fit the mold of the guys we lost, except we lost more shooting than we have brought in. Jones hurts us in the shooting department. Sean seemed to crack the code offensively last year., I ASSUME he's like more of the same, but with some better defense. I'm left assuming that Miller thinks he can reshape Jones offensively (like he did with Hunter) and exploit his athleticism to improve the defense. But even if so, I still see a shortage of deep shooting.

[IM4X]

Stats can be helpful in determining a players worth, but sometimes they can be a little deceiving. Who coached the player? Was he in a system that allowed him to be the best version of himself? I thought St John’s had some special players that at times weren’t put in the best position to succeed. If a player can prove he can find ways to score under that kind of coach, I can’t help but wonder how much better he might be in a system that helps him be the best version of himself.

Personally, I was very impressed with Jones last year- especially in games versus X. I circled him as one of my favorite options in the transfer portal out of all portal players coming from another BE team. I believe he has legit talent and a much higher ceiling - similar to what we’ve seen from many of the Steele recruits who later got a chance to be in Miller’s system. We now know in Sean’s system, players learn how to pass better, move better, take smarter shots and they stick to what they can do best for the team. I could see Jones becoming pretty special under Sean. I would also imagine we’d see his 3 pt % go up a bit too (like other X players did) under Sean.

One last thought: Sean would be getting a proven Big East player in Jones, if they land him. It’s something that can not be underestimated. We only have three players on the current roster who have played significant minutes in the BE. Maybe Olivari and McNight will end up shining, but adding another talented, battle tested BE player to our roster would be huge.

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

I understand what you are saying but Jones averaged over 3 years around 12 pts 6 boards in the Big East. The other guy from UC Riverside has played poor competition and when he has played good teams, his stats show he has struggled. He is also a guard and and I am not sure Xavier needs another guard. Xavier needs someone who can play the three and guard Big East caliber players. Jones hasn’t been a great three point shooter but he seems to be able to do everything else and he is a scorer. At this point you are not getting a guy who can do it all. Any way, Xavier wants him as does Kentucky, but it sounds like he may end up at Memphis.


Then I was going to compare him to Souley Boum, and found that Jones actually scored MORE points per minute (by a long shot .512 vs .463)) than Boum and took WAY more shots per minute (.505 vs .324) than Boum did to accomplish it.

Boum took 20 more shots than Jones. Boum played 507 more minutes.

Whats also obvious is that XU was in the top 5 in the country in assist last year and had a "share the ball" mentality. The defense was horrible, and yet the offense carried us to a 27-10 record. on paper, our backcourt transfers seem to fit the mold of the guys we lost, except we lost more shooting than we have brought in. Jones hurts us in the shooting department. Sean seemed to crack the code offensively last year., I ASSUME he's like more of the same, but with some better defense. I'm left assuming that Miller thinks he can reshape Jones offensively (like he did with Hunter) and exploit his athleticism to improve the defense. But even if so, I still see a shortage of deep shooting.

Interesting points on both sides. I concede he is athletic and a proven performer and also wonder if Miller sees defensive potential that we haven't considered. Maybe the most important point in regard to Jones comes from IM4X regarding how his use and performance might be completely different under Miller than under Mike Anderson. That is completely possible.

[MHettel]

Stats can be helpful in determining a players worth, but sometimes they can be a little deceiving. Who coached the player? Was he in a system that allowed him to be the best version of himself? I thought St John’s had some special players that at times weren’t put in the best position to succeed. If a player can prove he can find ways to score under that kind of coach, I can’t help but wonder how much better he might be in a system that helps him be the best version of himself.

Personally, I was very impressed with Jones last year- especially in games versus X. I circled him as one of my favorite options in the transfer portal out of all portal players coming from another BE team. I believe he has legit talent and a much higher ceiling - similar to what we’ve seen from many of the Steele recruits who later got a chance to be in Miller’s system. We now know in Sean’s system, players learn how to pass better, move better, take smarter shots and they stick to what they can do best for the team. I could see Jones becoming pretty special under Sean. I would also imagine we’d see his 3 pt % go up a bit too (like other X players did) under Sean.

One last thought: Sean would be getting a proven Big East player in Jones, if they land him. It’s something that can not be underestimated. We only have three players on the current roster who have played significant minutes in the BE. Maybe Olivari and McNight will end up shining, but adding another talented, battle tested BE player to our roster would be huge.

Well, Rick Pitino is a really good coach and asked him ( and everyone else besides Soriano) to leave.

[Xville]

Well, Rick Pitino is a really good coach and asked him ( and everyone else besides Soriano) to leave.

You keep saying that as if it’s gospel. Maybe it was jones that didn’t want to play for pitino? I like pitino a lot… think he is one of the best college coaches ever but he’s not infallible and I have seen him run practices. He’s not for everyone.

[xukeith]

You keep saying that as if it’s gospel. Maybe it was jones that didn’t want to play for pitino? I like pitino a lot… think he is one of the best college coaches ever but he’s not infallible and I have seen him run practices. He’s not for everyone.

Miller struggled to improve X defensively this past season. They did get better but bottom line, X was easy to score on and not easy to stop. Next year on paper, X is going to not have many quality 3 point shooters. vs Kunkel, Boum, Nunge...
One theme from last to this upcoming season is improved defense and lots of ft shooting.
X likely will share the ball and not turnover a ton. Good defense(in the kenpom 30-40 range) is expected. Not sure what X can get out of Ousmane and Duncomb. Hoping Zach's foot stays 100% healthy.

[XUGRAD80]

With all the roster changes throughout college bb it’s going to be extremely difficult to forecast the season for almost every team, including X. I’m going to trust that Miller will be able to mold this roster into a team, but it might take a little time before they jell. I think that X has a summer trip scheduled, that includes playing some games against club teams, and that should help to speed the process up. But make no mistake that it’s not just about how talented the roster is individually, it’s also about how well they play together.

[Masterofreality]

Looking more and more like David Jones to Memphis.
Sean really wanted him. Would have been a huge piece.
Damn the NIL.

[xavierj]

Looking more and more like David Jones to Memphis.
Sean really wanted him. Would have been a huge piece.
Damn the NIL.

Where did you see that? Must have read some guys tweet. He just finished his visit to Xavier. It’s uncertain if he can graduate to be eligible. Xavier, Memphis, KY and now Kansas state.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtCWLzIOyKf/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[IM4X]

Well, Rick Pitino is a really good coach and asked him ( and everyone else besides Soriano) to leave.


Yeah, I don’t know how true that really is. I mean, I saw how Pitino put it out there in a video that he asked players to leave -which honestly was kind of a dickish thing to say publicly. It was his way to get ahead of any potential situation where players who may be considering leaving to play for another coach are made to look bad and frankly all St John’s players look bad until he give them his blessing.

He puts out that statement to create the perception that any player from the 22-23 roster returning season is elite level and and if you are eligible and are not on next season’s roster (no matter what the true reason is) then you are not that good. It’s just a BS optics move. He has created a narrative that really sticks it to all SJ players who don’t try to kiss his ass and fall in line.

No doubt Rick is a talented coach and his addition to the league will likely make the BE an even better conference in terms of overall quality teams. Unfortunately, his undeniable sliminess, shadiness and meanness also taints the BE in a big way. I don’t like the way he operates… and no, I do not believe a player is mediocre just because he doesn’t bend a knee to the new dark lord of St. John’s.

[xukeith]

Jones to Memphis. Committed this am

[Masterofreality]

Looking more and more like David Jones to Memphis.
Sean really wanted him. Would have been a huge piece.
Damn the NIL.


Where did you see that? Must have read some guys tweet. He just finished his visit to Xavier. It’s uncertain if he can graduate to be eligible. Xavier, Memphis, KY and now Kansas state.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtCWLzIOyKf/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==


Jones to Memphis. Committed this am

Check mark.

[Final4]

Check mark.

Hilarious. Now he’s taken to grading himself, I guess in an attempt to establish credibility? What a dolt.

[Xville]

Cj wilcher’s stud brother commits to St. John’s. Yeesh the big East is loaded!

[muskiefan82]

Cj wilcher’s stud brother commits to St. John’s. Yeesh the big East is loaded!

Well, the prostitutes in NYC are likely a higher caliber than Louisville so this makes sense.

[Xville]

Kaluma picked k state. Weird pick in my opinion as bigger dogs were after him but maybe k state has a good nil network

[webxu]

K state was 3 points away from a final four this year so they have some things moving there.

[waggy]

Cj wilcher’s stud brother commits to St. John’s. Yeesh the big East is loaded!

It either takes money or some very odd situation to flip a UNC commit.

[xudash]

It either takes money or some very odd situation to flip a UNC commit.

Repole?

[waggy]

Repole?

Or the tooth fairy

[xavierj]

It either takes money or some very odd situation to flip a UNC commit.

Well UNC did kind of recruit over him already, so that played a part.

[paulxu]

Don't know how many spots we have open.
If Huggy can't pay us the $'s promised from the radio show, maybe WVa can send a player or two our way.

[noteggs]

Per Rothstein, NCAA is giving WVU players 30 days to transfer. BTW, we have one open scholarship.

[paulxu]

I think Sean had Kriisa for one season. Wonder if he's interested.

[XUGRAD80]

I’d rather take Tre Mitchell. X has enough guards. Still a little thin on the front line IMO. Mitchell would be a great piece to have if Free breaks down.

[paulxu]

That sounds good. Still wish we'd got Burton instead of Nova.

[bobbiemcgee]

I think Sean had Kriisa for one season. Wonder if he's interested.

I think his phone is ringing

[xavierj]

Paul Mulcahy

https://twitter.com/trillydonovan/status/1671623229931155457

[X-band '01]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5xYYmPw3Yg

Oh wait - wrong Mulcahy.

[xavierj]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5xYYmPw3Yg

Oh wait - wrong Mulcahy.

Yeah, you were. Any way he would be a goood pickup I would think. 6’6” PG who played 32 minutes a game for a pretty good team in the Big 10 for two years, but carry on Xband.

[Xville]

Kriisa back in the portal. Guessing that ship has sailed but is there any interest? I’m not a huge fan of his game but miller obviously seems to like him

[muskiefan82]

Kriisa back in the portal. Guessing that ship has sailed but is there any interest? I’m not a huge fan of his game but miller obviously seems to like him

Another guard can't be the priority, can it?

[Xville]

Another guard can't be the priority, can it?

There has been interest in a number of guards even with the new guys being brought in. Dunno why, maybe that’s an indictment on the roster still.

[nuts4xu]

Kriisa back in the portal. Guessing that ship has sailed but is there any interest? I’m not a huge fan of his game but miller obviously seems to like him

I don’t expect Xavier to pay him what he wants. He chose WVU primarily for the NIL deal. Miller is never going to be the highest bidder.

[paulxu]

Wouldn't the NIL $ still be there for him in WVa?

[smileyy]

Wouldn't the NIL $ still be there for him in WVa?

Possibly not, with Huggins gone. Finding sources might be pulling back.

[murray87]

Looks like they found the necessary cash:

https://sports.yahoo.com/west-virginias-kerr-kriisa-withdraws-from-transfer-portal-will-stay-after-bob-huggins-resignation-210346284.html

[UCGRAD4X]

Looks like they found the necessary cash:

https://sports.yahoo.com/west-virginias-kerr-kriisa-withdraws-from-transfer-portal-will-stay-after-bob-huggins-resignation-210346284.html

or maybe a lack off elsewhere

at this stage - the number of spots are diminished

not sure the demand is high enough to offset the risk to others already on the roster in many situs

[Masterofreality]

Jahvon Quinerly enters the Transfer Portal on….June 25???
WTF??
He would be a Grad Transfer..

[XUMIOH12]

Jahvon Quinerly enters the Transfer Portal on….June 25???
WTF??
He would be a Grad Transfer..

Had to finish his summer classes first so he could be a grad transfer and eligible immediately.

Late in the game, but just wait until late July/early August when more kids become grad transfer eligible lol.

[XUGRAD80]

Tre Mitchill transferring to kY. This will be his 4th school…..UMass, Texas, WV, and now UK

[nickgyp]

Tre Mitchill transferring to kY. This will be his 4th school…..UMass, Texas, WV, and now UK

And still looking for a major…

[XU_Lou]

Paul Mulcahy to X?

[GoMuskies]

I'm guessing not.

[XU_Lou]

This meme has never failed: https://twitter.com/XavierGrit/status/1674040559047151616

[xavierj]

I'm guessing not.

Why not? He is currently on a visit. I think it’s Xavier or ND. Xavier would be the better spot for him.

[Xville]

What’s the point of getting this guy? There are a crap ton of guys 1-3 on the roster and the stats don’t jump off the page with this dude. I don’t get it.

[waggy]

Stupid Miller

[xavierj]

What’s the point of getting this guy? There are a crap ton of guys 1-3 on the roster and the stats don’t jump off the page with this dude. I don’t get it.

He is a 6’6” guard who has averaged around 9 pts, 4 boards and 5 assists while playing in the big 10. 36% career 3 pt shooter, good defender. You also have to realize he played at Rutgers, who plays slow and doesn’t score a lot of points, which is why he probably was not a double figure scorer for them.

[Xville]

He is a 6’6” guard who has averaged around 9 pts, 4 boards and 5 assists while playing in the big 10. 36% career 3 pt shooter, good defender. You also have to realize he played at Rutgers, who plays slow and doesn’t score a lot of points, which is why he probably was not a double figure scorer for them.

Fair. Did he start at Rutgers? I’m just wondering what his role is here? X has a ton of guards

[X-band '01]

Believe he did start at Rutgers.

[xavierj]

Fair. Did he start at Rutgers? I’m just wondering what his role is here? X has a ton of guards

He has stated 81 games at Rutgers and has averaged 27.5 minutes a game in his career. Started 60 Of 62 games, playing 32 minutes a game the last two years.

My only thought is Sean is wanting guard depth and maybe wants to play some bigger lineups. I mean you could have Dez at 6-5, him at 6-6, with Jerome, Zach and Abou. That’s some size or you can also go with a 4 guard lineup at times and him and Des can also rebound. Could create a lot of matchup problems in my opinion. My guess is Sean knows that he is looking for.

[Xville]

He has stated 81 games at Rutgers and has averaged 27.5 minutes a game in his career. Started 60 Of 62 games, playing 32 minutes a game the last two years.

My only thought is Sean is wanting guard depth and maybe wants to play some bigger lineups. I mean you could have Dez at 6-5, him at 6-6, with Jerome, Zach and Abou. That’s some size or you can also go with a 4 guard lineup at times and him and Des can also rebound. Could create a lot of matchup problems in my opinion. My guess is Sean knows that he is looking for.

Thanks! Yes in Sean I trust, I just wonder if this is an indictment on some of the guys on the roster.

[xavierj]

Thanks! Yes in Sean I trust, I just wonder if this is an indictment on some of the guys on the roster.

I don’t think so. Trey Green is a freshman so taking a one year experienced big guard isn’t a bad idea. At this point they have two guys who can play point with experience, so a third guy who could handle the ball and is bigger would be a good thing in my opinion. It also could be wanting to stay tapped into the New Jersey area for recruiting. Should be interesting to see what he does. Maybe he didn’t like what his role will be and will go to ND. I think he is at ND today. Washington supposedly offered him a much bigger NIL deal so will be interesting to see what his priorities are.

[atljar]

If you have an open scholarship spot, would you rather have an experienced D1 player fill it or a walk on? The "why" conversation is funny to me. Why not?

[muskiefan82]

If there are no viable bigs/forwards out there, then getting an experienced, good size guard who can shoot and defend is always a good idea

[Jumpin_Jamal_Forever]

If you have an open scholarship spot, would you rather have an experienced D1 player fill it or a walk on? The "why" conversation is funny to me. Why not?

I don't read the arguments as the choice outlined above. I think it is a question of what is best level of experience and what are important skill sets you want in that last roster spot. Don't believe its a choice between a scholarship player vs walk on but instead where do we need depth? While I'm no expert, seems like we have plenty of backcourt depth. Does make me wonder, like the earlier post, are we pursuing because we lack confidence somewhere in our roster?

[atljar]

I don't read the arguments as the choice outlined above. I think it is a question of what is best level of experience and what are important skill sets you want in that last roster spot. Don't believe its a choice between a scholarship player vs walk on but instead where do we need depth? While I'm no expert, seems like we have plenty of backcourt depth. Does make me wonder, like the earlier post, are we pursuing because we lack confidence somewhere in our roster?

I agree with your assessment of our needs, but I feel like we are getting to the point of very limited options and the 11th hour. At some point, you just shove a warm experienced body in there.

[Xville]

I agree with your assessment of our needs, but I feel like we are getting to the point of very limited options and the 11th hour. At some point, you just shove a warm experienced body in there.

Yeah but this kind of reiterates my point. A big 10 starter is not just a warm body, this is a guy probably looking for quite a bit of playing time. X has four guys on the roster that can play the 1 and 2, 6 or 7 or even 8 guys if you include the 3. That tells me there is something about the roster that miller thinks he is missing.

Maybe craft hasn’t developed, or Reid or green just aren’t going to be ready for much or any kind of minutes.

[D-West & PO-Z]

If you have an open scholarship spot, would you rather have an experienced D1 player fill it or a walk on? The "why" conversation is funny to me. Why not?

I agree. While on the surface, to me, it seems we may need more help down low, Miller may not see anyone available he likes in that area, and it seems Miller really prefers playing a 3 guard lineup. We have seen how injuries and lack of depth can hurt a squad. I'd rather have too much depth than not enough. Again, these are 1-2 year guys. If it doesn't work out you are already moving on.

[noteggs]

Sure Miller may think he is missing a piece. On the other hand, Miller may be thinking there are some unknowns because the large turnover of the roster. I mean, how will the CUSA players translate into the BE. Also, we know the story behind freshman.

That’s almost 60% in the the unknown category of our current roster. I see a proven starter from the big ten as nothing but positive in the known category.

[XUBison]

I agree. While on the surface, to me, it seems we may need more help down low, Miller may not see anyone available he likes in that area, and it seems Miller really prefers playing a 3 guard lineup. We have seen how injuries and lack of depth can hurt a squad. I'd rather have too much depth than not enough. Again, these are 1-2 year guys. If it doesn't work out you are already moving on.

This is sort of my take as well. We missed on some top-level front court guys in the portal. I hope Abou is the defensive stalwart he is purported to be. I’m not sure how much offense can be expected there, however. He shot less than 50% from the field last year, and that’s not because he takes outside shots – because he doesn’t. Who will we rely on to back up the post, especially if he can’t provide consistent offense? If we have to resort to Zach for depth/offense at the five, we will need depth at the guard/wing position, especially guys with size. This seems like a Plan B, which is better than no plan.

[MHettel]

This is sort of my take as well. We missed on some top-level front court guys in the portal. I hope Abou is the defensive stalwart he is purported to be. I’m not sure how much offense can be expected there, however. He shot less than 50% from the field last year, and that’s not because he takes outside shots – because he doesn’t. Who will we rely on to back up the post, especially if he can’t provide consistent offense? If we have to resort to Zach for depth/offense at the five, we will need depth at the guard/wing position, especially guys with size. This seems like a Plan B, which is better than no plan.

I'll trade interior offense for defense with this team. I see all sorts of scoring. i dotn see alot of deep shooting. This team might look very different than last year on offense.

Maybe Miller has a better read on the Big Kid from IU that we picked up. We kind of dismiss him a little due to his lack of contributions, but Archie would know what he's capable of (I think), and he had injury issues last year. Maybe we've got 4 guys already that can play up front.

I think we can count on Dez, Free, Jerome and the 3 main transfer guys. We need just 2 more solid players to emerge from Craft, the incoming Freshmen, the IU kid and whoever takes that last spot.

My ideal guy would be a SF that can shoot from deep.

[xukeith]

I'll trade interior offense for defense with this team. I see all sorts of scoring. i dotn see alot of deep shooting. This team might look very different than last year on offense.

Maybe Miller has a better read on the Big Kid from IU that we picked up. We kind of dismiss him a little due to his lack of contributions, but Archie would know what he's capable of (I think), and he had injury issues last year. Maybe we've got 4 guys already that can play up front.

I think we can count on Dez, Free, Jerome and the 3 main transfer guys. We need just 2 more solid players to emerge from Craft, the incoming Freshmen, the IU kid and whoever takes that last spot.

My ideal guy would be a SF that can shoot from deep.

I am hoping too.

[XUGRAD80]

If you have an open scholarship spot, would you rather have an experienced D1 player fill it or a walk on? The "why" conversation is funny to me. Why not?

The fear seems to be that if an experienced player is brought in, and given playing time, that a freshman will see their opportunity for playing time taken away. Then the freshman may become unhappy and transfer. However, I’d point out that there are many freshman (and other year players too) that end up transferring even though they got plenty of playing time. Transferring is no longer the stigma it once was for some. There are all kinds of reasons for players to transfer, playing time is just one of the reasons.

[JTG]

I'll trade interior offense for defense with this team. I see all sorts of scoring. i dotn see alot of deep shooting. This team might look very different than last year on offense.

Maybe Miller has a better read on the Big Kid from IU that we picked up. We kind of dismiss him a little due to his lack of contributions, but Archie would know what he's capable of (I think), and he had injury issues last year. Maybe we've got 4 guys already that can play up front.

I think we can count on Dez, Free, Jerome and the 3 main transfer guys. We need just 2 more solid players to emerge from Craft, the incoming Freshmen, the IU kid and whoever takes that last spot.

My ideal guy would be a SF that can shoot from deep.

Duncomb, the IU guy, was playing behind an All American big, who also happened to be a local hero. He wasn't going to play much no matter what.

[Olsingledigit]

Duncomb, the IU guy, was playing behind an All American big, who also happened to be a local hero. He wasn't going to play much no matter what.

Agree, and he was injured a lot.

[D-West & PO-Z]

The fear seems to be that if an experienced player is brought in, and given playing time, that a freshman will see their opportunity for playing time taken away. Then the freshman may become unhappy and transfer. However, I’d point out that there are many freshman (and other year players too) that end up transferring even though they got plenty of playing time. Transferring is no longer the stigma it once was for some. There are all kinds of reasons for players to transfer, playing time is just one of the reasons.

More often than not, the freshman coming to Xavier are not major contributors in their first year, even with a path to playing time. Just see Craft as an example. Depth was decimated, we could only play 6 guys, and he couldn't get onto the court. I know he ended up with some injuries but before that he couldn't find his way to any minutes.

With the way college basketball now operates, any coach who passes up on interested proven college level talent for fear of a freshman getting mad, is a fool. It was different maybe when transfers had to sit a year and you really had to build your program exclusively from high school recruits, but the most successful teams now will build their teams with probably a 50/50 split or maybe even leaning more to transfers.

[xukeith]

I believe the Rutgers Mulcahy guard is deciding today

[Smooth]

I believe the Rutgers Mulcahy guard is deciding today

I'll keep that on my Radar.

[xuphan]

I believe the Rutgers Mulcahy guard is deciding today

Just sometime today or is there a specific time today?

[JTG]

Word is it's Washington. Strickly a money play because ND or X are infinitely better programs, and you're not playing for a joke of a basketball program. But, money talks.

[xuphan]

Word is it's Washington. Strickly a money play because ND or X are infinitely better programs, and you're not playing for a joke of a basketball program. But, money talks.

Seriously? I am sure it is just a blip but Sean can’t buy a bucket here lately.

[Masterofreality]

Word is it's Washington. Strickly a money play because ND or X are infinitely better programs, and you're not playing for a joke of a basketball program. But, money talks.

This is 100% correct. Per sources $200k worth.

[nickgyp]

This is 100% correct. Per sources $200k worth.

Come on, man! Washington has a forestry major; and he’s really into learning about trees. ND and Xavier need to expand their academic offerings if they really want to attract degree-minded players

[xavierj]

Seriously? I am sure it is just a blip but Sean can’t buy a bucket here lately.

I don’t get this way of thinking. He landed 4 transfers a couple of months ago and also has landed a priority recruit. He missed on the last couple but I am not sure he could offer the money or playing time they were looking for. Sean and staff are not desperate like some other programs.

[xukeith]

With X's roster 12/13 complete, this Rutgers guard had a definite role but minutes of pt limited .
He chose perhaps the life changing $ NIL opportunity that he would never see at X or ND... hard to imagine.

[xuphan]

I don’t get this way of thinking. He landed 4 transfers a couple of months ago and also has landed a priority recruit. He missed on the last couple but I am not sure he could offer the money or playing time they were looking for. Sean and staff are not desperate like some other programs.

Then why try and recruit a transfer who is going to fill the last scholarship and get limited minutes? I don’t see why someone would transfer for a very limited role. Do the other 12 players on the team not bring enough to complete the roster? Sean has actively recruited and missed on several players to fill the last scholarship. Don’t think it is needed and we can use the NIL money for this last scholarship and use it towards future recruits.

[xavierj]

Then why try and recruit a transfer who is going to fill the last scholarship and get limited minutes? I don’t see why someone would transfer for a very limited role. Do the other 12 players on the team not bring enough to complete the roster? Sean has actively recruited and missed on several players to fill the last scholarship. Don’t think it is needed and we can use the NIL money for this last scholarship and use it towards future recruits.

You never stop recruiting.

[JTG]

With X's roster 12/13 complete, this Rutgers guard had a definite role but minutes of pt limited .
He chose perhaps the life changing $ NIL opportunity that he would never see at X or ND... hard to imagine.

$200k is not life changing, and no one east of Arizona will know he exists, unless they're able to find PAC tv at 10pm. I can understand the lure of an ND diploma/nationwide connections, but Washington? Cmon.

[94GRAD]

$200k is not life changing, and no one east of Arizona will know he exists, unless they're able to find PAC tv at 10pm. I can understand the lure of an ND diploma/nationwide connections, but Washington? Cmon.

$200K more than what X and ND are offering

[Xville]

Dunno mulcahy’s situation but 200k is life changing money for some.

[GoMuskies]

I can certainly see picking Seattle over Cincinnati and South Bend.

[xuphan]

You never stop recruiting.

Always another class to recruit.

[GIMMFD]

Dunno mulcahy’s situation but 200k is life changing money for some.

Even if it's not life-changing, imagine having 200k in college, it makes life significantly more fun at the very least.

[xu82]

Even if it's not life-changing, imagine having 200k in college, it makes life significantly more fun at the very least.

ABSOLUTELY! It definitely changes your life at that time. Maybe not ensure long term affluence, but it’s a big deal for a “kid” that age.

[MHettel]

I can certainly see picking Seattle over Cincinnati and South Bend.

Uh, recrutiing in Seattle in Late June is a GOLD MINE. 9 months out of the year, is drizzly and dark. But it would be hard to not be impressed with the UW campus in the summer.

[webxu]

Uh, recrutiing in Seattle in Late June is a GOLD MINE. 9 months out of the year, is drizzly and dark. But it would be hard to not be impressed with the UW campus in the summer.

Agree with this.. stopped and and did a tour of UW last July for my 16 year old, had some time to kill after a cruise, and it is a BEAUTIFUL campus.

[sirthought]

If he has $200K fall into his lap for doing something he's already been doing...you could buy a house, a car, invest it in a 401K, etc...that could certainly change the course of his life no matter what he does in the future. Doesn't make him rich for life, but a lot of people take years to acquire that wealth. So if he's not a push at this stage for the NBA draft, he certainly should take the best offer he can for a year of college hoops.

[Masterofreality]

If he has $200K fall into his lap for doing something he's already been doing...you could buy a house, a car, invest it in a 401K, etc...that could certainly change the course of his life no matter what he does in the future. Doesn't make him rich for life, but a lot of people take years to acquire that wealth. So if he's not a push at this stage for the NBA draft, he certainly should take the best offer he can for a year of college hoops.

But see. 94 Grad already pointed out, this was $200k MORE than he was being offered by X and others.
I wonder if Sean has changed his opinion on the NIL since I asked him about it a year ago?

[xavierj]

But see. 94 Grad already pointed out, this was $200k MORE than he was being offered by X and others.
I wonder if Sean has changed his opinion on the NIL since I asked him about it a year ago?

My guess is no. I just don’t think being the highest bidder will make great teams. I mean UCONN didn’t pay out a bunch for NIL last year and won it all. I think NIL is a bigger deal in the transfer market and I also think a ton of transfer portal guys are overrated. For example Xavier landed Quincy and I would take him over Mulcahy and Krisa. I can’t believe West Virginia and Washington paid what they did to get those guys. You don’t have to over pay to find good teammates that can help you win and I think Sean knows that. Find what what works for you rather than just pay a bunch of overrated dudes to play for you. Desperate programs think they have to pay high dollars to be good.

One other thing. If these transfer portal guys were all that, why are they getting pay days in college but most are not even on NBA radars?

[XUGRAD80]

One other thing. If these transfer portal guys were all that, why are they getting pay days in college but most are not even on NBA radars?


The college and professional businesses are two different business models. You are correct that only about 1-2% will ever make it to the NBA, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t valuable personnel for the college programs, or to those who are providing the NIL dollars. They are getting pay days in college because someone sees a value in doing so. Just because someone doesn’t make it to the elite of the elite level doesn’t mean that they are bad players. Just like teams that don’t win national championships are therefore bad teams. There are tons of really really good players all around the world that will never make it in the NBA for one reason or another.

I will agree that “buying” a championship team is probably not going to happen on a regular basis. I think that UK is a prime example of there being no quick shortcut to development of players and a team. I also agree that Miller has a good idea of the type of players that he wants to build his TEAMS with.

[xavierj]

The college and professional businesses are two different business models. You are correct that only about 1-2% will ever make it to the NBA, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t valuable personnel for the college programs, or to those who are providing the NIL dollars. They are getting pay days in college because someone sees a value in doing so. Just because someone doesn’t make it to the elite of the elite level doesn’t mean that they are bad players. Just like teams that don’t win national championships are therefore bad teams. There are tons of really really good players all around the world that will never make it in the NBA for one reason or another.

I will agree that “buying” a championship team is probably not going to happen on a regular basis. I think that UK is a prime example of there being no quick shortcut to development of players and a team. I also agree that Miller has a good idea of the type of players that he wants to build his TEAMS with.

I agree but I also didn’t say they were bad players, just think overvalued at the college level. I think people get so caught up in the transfer portal and make guys in the portal out to be better than they are.

[XUGRAD80]

I think people get so caught up in the transfer portal and make guys in the portal out to be better than they are.

It’s a problem with ALL recruits……freshman or transfers.

[MHettel]

I agree but I also didn’t say they were bad players, just think overvalued at the college level. I think people get so caught up in the transfer portal and make guys in the portal out to be better than they are.

I disagree with this. Nearly every transfer that has come to XU has essentially been the same player that he was at his prior schools. Go back to Travis Taylor, or Isiah Philmore, or Matt Stainbrook, or any number of other transfers to XU. You could argue that maybe Jason Carter didnt quite live up to his prior performance (Travis Steele), or maybe Kyle Castilin who came in as a role player.

But Freshmen? Its 50/50 at BEST. Obviously a Freshman must have had a HS and AAU performance that was good enough for us to visualize his as a productive college player and yet time after time we get freshmen that just completely fizzle out.

We have seen, and will continue to see, the lower level schools being used as a farm system for the big guys. Look at the key transfers from this year. Its FLUSH with players that were POY, or DPOY, or Freshmen of the year or First Team All Conference from the bottom 1/2 of conferences. the big boys are literally just poaching all of the top talent from the little guys.

if I'm a D1 coach, I'm trying to bring in maybe 1-2 Freshmen each year, then trying to grab 1-2 transfers with multiple years left and then 1 or 2 guys with one year left.

Do that for a couple years and you'll have a decent core of 5-6 guys that came in as freshmen, 3-5 guys that transferred in with multiple years left, and 1-2 guys that join the team as seniors. You can sustain that mix.

The 50-75% yearly roster turnover is not sustainable and results in ZERO chemistry or role expectations each year. No thanks.

[GoMuskies]

Are you saying that Travis Taylor and Isiah Philmore were good at Xavier? Not my recollection.

[X-band '01]

I will not have you badmouthing the OG Rec League Champ mister.

[Xville]

Are you saying that Travis Taylor and Isiah Philmore were good at Xavier? Not my recollection.

I remember his senior year travis taylor being pretty damn good. He was almost the only player worthwhile on that team his senior year outside of semaj.

[GoMuskies]

Even in the rec league you might have to hit a one footer at the buzzer to prolong your career.

[GoMuskies]

I remember his senior year travis taylor being pretty damn good. He was almost the only player worthwhile on that team his senior year

Well, Samaj was on that team, so not quite. He was perhaps the second best player on the worst Xavier team of the 21st century. So that's...something I guess!

[MHettel]

Are you saying that Travis Taylor and Isiah Philmore were good at Xavier? Not my recollection.

I'm saying that for the most these guys were similar at Xavier as they were at their prior school.

Philmore averaged 25 minutes a game at XU, after playing 36 as a soph at Towson. he took much fewer shots per minute at XU, but had a slightly better FG% . His rebounding, assist, blocks, TOs, Fouls, FTA,.....nearly EVERYTHING, were almost exactly the same as he did in Towson.

i didnt think he was a great player at XU. But i could have looked at his Towson stats and probably could have foreseen that. Remember , he was the leading scorer as a Soph on a Towson team that went 4-26. Is that good or bad...to be the top scorer on an awful team?

Taylor was similar. He didnt get the minutes as a Junior at XU (more on that below), but his Senior year was solid, averaging 12/9 and shooting 54%. he was a solid front court contributor. In his case, like Philmore, he was the top scorer as a Soph on a crappy 12-19 Monmouth team.

As a Junior at XU, Taylor played 15 minutes a game with TU (sr), Frease (sr), Lyons (jr), Dez Wells (Fr), Jeff Robinson (jr), Justin Martin (jr), Dee Davis (fr), and Andre Walker (sr), and a broken Brad redford (jr). Aside from Tu, Lyons, and Dez, that is a WHOLE LOT of average on that roster.

Andre Walker happens to be ANOTHER perfect example. A fifth year player, he had averaged 4 points & 3.6 rebs a game in 18 minutes in 84 games at vandy. In 28 Minutes at XU, he averaged 5 / 6 per game. What was it that we expected? We got exactly what he had shown he was able to do.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Are you saying that Travis Taylor and Isiah Philmore were good at Xavier? Not my recollection.

Taylor was pretty good his last year at X. 12ppg and 9 reb

[MHettel]

I'm saying that for the most these guys were similar at Xavier as they were at their prior school.

Philmore averaged 25 minutes a game at XU, after playing 36 as a soph at Towson. he took much fewer shots per minute at XU, but had a slightly better FG% . His rebounding, assist, blocks, TOs, Fouls, FTA,.....nearly EVERYTHING, were almost exactly the same as he did in Towson.

i didnt think he was a great player at XU. But i could have looked at his Towson stats and probably could have foreseen that. Remember , he was the leading scorer as a Soph on a Towson team that went 4-26. Is that good or bad...to be the top scorer on an awful team?

Taylor was similar. He didnt get the minutes as a Junior at XU (more on that below), but his Senior year was solid, averaging 12/9 and shooting 54%. he was a solid front court contributor. In his case, like Philmore, he was the top scorer as a Soph on a crappy 12-19 Monmouth team.

As a Junior at XU, Taylor played 15 minutes a game with TU (sr), Frease (sr), Lyons (jr), Dez Wells (Fr), Jeff Robinson (jr), Justin Martin (jr), Dee Davis (fr), and Andre Walker (sr), and a broken Brad redford (jr). Aside from Tu, Lyons, and Dez, that is a WHOLE LOT of average on that roster.

Andre Walker happens to be ANOTHER perfect example. A fifth year player, he had averaged 4 points & 3.6 rebs a game in 18 minutes in 84 games at vandy. In 28 Minutes at XU, he averaged 5 / 6 per game. What was it that we expected? We got exactly what he had shown he was able to do.

Key point to all of this: Taylor and Philmore both had to sit for a year before playing for 2. That was part of the cost of transfers in the past. Now, they are eligible immediately.

[xukeith]

I recall walkon Andy Taylor getting quality minutes in NCAA Tourney.
Tu's teammate and surprise player.

[xavierj]

I disagree with this. Nearly every transfer that has come to XU has essentially been the same player that he was at his prior schools. Go back to Travis Taylor, or Isiah Philmore, or Matt Stainbrook, or any number of other transfers to XU. You could argue that maybe Jason Carter didnt quite live up to his prior performance (Travis Steele), or maybe Kyle Castilin who came in as a role player.

But Freshmen? Its 50/50 at BEST. Obviously a Freshman must have had a HS and AAU performance that was good enough for us to visualize his as a productive college player and yet time after time we get freshmen that just completely fizzle out.

We have seen, and will continue to see, the lower level schools being used as a farm system for the big guys. Look at the key transfers from this year. Its FLUSH with players that were POY, or DPOY, or Freshmen of the year or First Team All Conference from the bottom 1/2 of conferences. the big boys are literally just poaching all of the top talent from the little guys.

if I'm a D1 coach, I'm trying to bring in maybe 1-2 Freshmen each year, then trying to grab 1-2 transfers with multiple years left and then 1 or 2 guys with one year left.

Do that for a couple years and you'll have a decent core of 5-6 guys that came in as freshmen, 3-5 guys that transferred in with multiple years left, and 1-2 guys that join the team as seniors. You can sustain that mix.

The 50-75% yearly roster turnover is not sustainable and results in ZERO chemistry or role expectations each year. No thanks.

Again I didn’t say transfers were not good, I just think people over value them and many programs are over paying to get guys. You can find good players that can help you win without spending $400k. I am glad Xavier didn’t pay big bucks just to grab a Kerr Krisa or Paul Mulcahy. I mean in my opinion, UC grabbed some decent to average transfers, that may be fine players, but there are UC fans I know that think they are headed to the final 4 next year. They think they have a couple of NBA guys. That is a perfect example of fans overrating the transfer portal.

[Masterofreality]

Daniel Ramsey has transferred to Georgia State from Tennessee Tech.
Go get it kid!