Do What We Do: A Xavier Basketball Preview

Lace em up folks. Basketball season is here whether you're ready or not. I know it seems like just yesterday when we all watched The Tarheels run through the tournament and grab the National Title. When that final buzzer sounded, Sean Miller was still at Xavier, Arizona had no coach, and we were all wondering how we let a third Elite 8 in five years slip away. Well, a lot has changed. Sean is at 'Zona where he'll have them back on the map in no time, Chris Mack is heading the charge at Xavier, and we still all hate Dayton. All is well.

Let's begin with Chris Mack. Who is this guy? Well, I'll tell you who he is. He was the only option in my opinion that should've been looked at to coach at Xavier and I'm glad he's the guy Xavier chose. Chris Mack was born and raised in Cincinnati. He hooped at St. Xavier then went on to Evansville where he spent two seasons. He came back home and finished his career at Xavier. Legend has it he could soar in his day and trust me when I say that he still can hoop. He still can throw down after having two major knee surgeries. He spent some time coaching girls high school basketball before reuniting with Skip Prosser at X and following him to Wake Forest. He came back home to be Sean's number one guy on the bench and was a very influential factor in Xavier's success under Coach Miller. It finally was Coach Mack's time and nothing better than for him to coach the at the school he played and and coach in front of the hometown fans. He's learned under some of the best in college basketball. The late great Skip Prosser will always be remembered as one of the best coaches in college basketball and Sean Miller is arguably one of if not the best young coach's in basketball right now. Arizona cannot be any happier than to have a guy like Miller running the show there. Watch out Pac-10, you're in for some trouble. But enough about that, we're here to talk Musketeer hoops. Out of Chris Mack you're going to see a similar style of play. It's going to be run and gun for the most part with a strong emphasis on defense. The offense is going to flourish off the success of the defense. You're going to see a very organized team that puts up points and shuts opponents down. The goals remain the same: compete for a conference championship and play in the post season - the NCAA Tournament - and advance. It's as simple as that. Xavier strives for success because they've had success. We're just going to continue to do what we do.

Let's take a look at the schedule. Once again we have gone out and scheduled tough opponents. The sole purpose of this is to prepare the team for conference play. A tough non-conference schedule allows teams to grow and compete with the best of the best and get better everyday. Unlike Dayton who likes to schedule panzy ass teams and fool themselves into thinking they are good when they really are not. So good job Dayton. Keep up the tough scheduling, we'll see you in January. Anyways, the results can be seen up on banners in the Cintas Center. Tough non-conference play has attributed to Xavier's success not only because it prepares the team to battle every night in the A-10 and prepares them for the NCAA Tournament. Immediately you look at the schedule and you see Marquette, Michigan, Creighton, Butler, Cincinnati, LSU, Wake Forest, Florida, Kansas State, and Kent State. You look at those teams and you see NCAA Tournaments, you see National Titles, you see ballers, you see perenial success. What you also see is once again a chance for Xavier to go out and prove to the country why they are so successful in March year in and year out. The conference play is no walk in the park either. Xavier has to show up every night to play because they go into every game with a target on their back. Xavier gets everyone's best game because every team wants a little piece of what Xavier has achieved and that's W's and Rings. As much as it pains me to say this, and I'm in legitimate pain right now, Dayton will challenge Xavier this year with the conference championship. However, let's be honest and face the facts. Xavier's non-conference play will prove to be pivotal when it comes to conference play. It will be Xavier and Dayton at the top with the rest of the A-10 being extremely competitive. Nothing is harder than going to Massachusetts in February and grinding out a win but Xavier will be up for the task this year.

Looking at personnel you see huge gaps left to fill. First of all Xavier loses almost all of it's offense in BJ Raymond, CJ Anderson, and the early departure of Derrick Brown. But just like Xavier does every year, they reload and hard work in the off season prepares young guys to step up and take leadership roles and just keep it rolling in Cincinnati. If you don't know Jordan Crawford by now well let me introduce you to the guy who "dunked" on LeBron. Not taking anything away from Jordan but it wasn't what everyone built it up to be. Please everyone act like you've seen a dunk before. Anyways, Jordan Crawford transferred in last year from Indiana. He was orginally recruited by Xavier but chose IU. Had it not been for Eric Gordon he could've challenged for freshman of the year in the Big 10. He's very very very good and when he's on he is tough to stop. The A-10 is going to struggle to guard this hoss. Kenny Frease is a big man down low. He is going to use his size to body you and score inside the paint. He's physical and built like an ox. He'll wear you down as the game drags on. Terrell Holloway had the tough task of filling the shoes Drew Lavender left last year. Tutu as he's aptly known as handles the rock and has used last season's struggles to help himself get better in the off season. Him and Cheekz will be a great duo in the backcourt. Joe Hughes is a walk on who through his hard work earned a scholly this year. He's going to bring a toughness both mentally and defensively to the court. What up Joe?! I see you. Dante Jackson is going to be the voice and heart of this team. He's passionate and plays hard. He's an extremely hard worker. I think this year you're finally going to see what he's made out of. He's been forced to play out of position his first two years with a lack of depth at the point position. But this year you're going to see him at the two guard spot and hurt teams with his ability to penetrate and assassinate others from outside with his range. Jason Love. Wow, what more can I say than he's the hardest working player I've ever seen. Dude is 6'9", 265, and 7% body fat. Excuse me. Who wants a piece of this rebounding, blocking, force in the middle? I know Chris Wright up at _ayton is scared. Just like Dante, Lovely is going to step into a leadership position this year and take care of the dirty work down low. Mark Cheekz Lyons has arrived. We've all been waiting to see what this guy can do. I'll tell you what that is. He's a flashy point guard who can penetrate, kick, and dish the rock. He's quick. He can jump. He can make passes that make you scratch your head. Between him and Jordan Crawford they were the best two players on the team last year, or so I've been told, and they couldn't even play. That's one hell of a scout team if you ask me. Welcome to the show Cheekz. The A-10 can't hold you. Jamel Mister Clean McClean. This guy is the energy and the enthusiasm of the team. He can flat out jump out of the gym and arguably one of the most athletic dudes I've ever seen. He's going to clean up the glass. He's going to dunk the ball. He's going to block shots. He's going to posterize cats. He's going to hustle. He's going to play hard. Don't worry, those lobs Drew used to give to Derrick will be back this year except it will be Tutu or Cheekz to Jamel. Brad Redford. Can flat out shoot the ball. This may help you remember how lethal this guy is. It's no secret now. The conference and the nation will be ready for him. But he has no range so I really don't know how teams plan on guarding him. Be ready to see him light it up and burn the silk this year. Jeff Robinson is a freshman who Xavier got late after he didn't get into Purdue. He has tremendous upside and will help provide depth at the forward position. Andrew Taylor is also going to help provide depth at the forward position and his shooting will be needed as well. Brian Welsh rounds out the Xavier line up. He will provide great minutes at the 2 and 3 position, defend well, shoot well, and distribute the rock.

Looking at the team I see a mix of youth and veterans. I see a new, young, and passionate coach with a great coaching staff. I see a program already building for years to come (take a look at #16 and note that they are in front of Dayton, you still suck Dayton). With a mix of young and old and a new staff I think you're going to see the same Xavier team you've seen season after season. A team that competes in every game. They may not win them all but you know what you're getting every game. Hard fought at the defensive end, a team that rebounds well, makes more free throws than their opponents shoot, and a team that scores points at will. I hate make record predictions because I tend to set myself up for failure but I will tell you this. Xavier is going to compete hard. They are going to make me cuss and they are going to make me celebrate. I will celebrate another A-10 championship and I plan on celebrating even more in March as they advance in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Mack is going to have a heck of a season and we're going to be proud that he's there. For once I think Xavier has finally found their "long term" guy. Unfinished business. Do what we do.



-'Killa