Musketeer Madness

Hello Xavier basketball fans!



Disclaimer: If you are not a Xavier basketball fan than you should become one, its legit.

This weekend was newsworthy for the musketeers as they hosted their annual musketeer madness event. Think 'midnight madness' but with more free skyline for dinner and less 'actually taking place at midnight.' The event was comprised of an autograph session followed by fancy player introductions, a womens scrimmage and a mens scrimmage. Muskie madness isn't televised so I know you out of towners will appreciate a write up. Here are my thoughts,,

Who looked impressive- Jay Canty, Justin Martin, Tu Holloway, Jeff Robinson.Canty and Martin both looked good for freshman. Canty had a couple rebounds and made a three, he probably won't be anything special his frosh year but he looks capable of taking some minutes rebounding and playing D. Martin is huge for a shooting guard, legit 6'7 and strong. Finished a fast break with a dunk in traffic and looks like he can shoot it from 3 at a decent clip. We know Holloway has the stones to lead the team I expect him to take his PG play to the next level this year, 3:1 or better assist to turnover ratio. Jeff Robinson looked like the most improved player on the court. He had a few rebounds, a blocked shot and a nice post move and finish in traffic. He should see decent minutes this year

Who looked average:  Mark Lyons, Jordan Latham, Griffin Mckenzie Dante Jackson, Jamel McClean, Andrew Taylor, Travis Taylor, Walk Ons. I didn't really watch Lyons and Jackson very closely and they didn't make any standout plays. Jackson just needs to take his defense to another level this year just like Stan the man Burrell did his senior year. Lyons will probably be asked to score more, which I think he can do. Latham and Mckenzie both looked 'as advertised,' Latham is big and looks like he can rebound, Mckenzie is bigger than I thought and made a 3 however I think he will need some seasoning before getting significant minutes. McClean had one nice finish in the post. He will have another solid year starting at the 4. I didn't notice anything special from Andrew Taylor, Travis Taylor or the white boy walk on squad, none of them will see much action (although TSR does love Feeney and Hughes).

Who needed some work: Kenny Frease, Brad Redford (hurt). Kenny still looks confused and unsure of what to do with the ball when he gets it in the post which resulted in a couple of turnovers. He is leaner and faster but he still seems to not catch up with the speed of the game. However, the power forwards, McClean, Latham and Robinson looked good so I'm not really concerned about front court depth. Redford hurt himself the day of the scrimmage and is out for the year. As long as Martin is declared eligible than it shouldn't be an issue. It is fun to watch Brad shoot but he is a defensive liability and can't rebound.

The new scoreboard, ribbon boards and video board add more to the area than I expected. They produce a ton of light and the graphics are sharp. The Tas (the Cintas Center) looks more like a small NBA arena than an on campus arena. I'm sure the upgrades are another plus for any recruit looking at XU. Xaiver received two verbal commitments this weekend from two four star top 30 recruits D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Michael Chandler. I'll have some more info about them later in the week as well as a "Rest of the A10" preview.