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LOCATION: Cincinnati, OH
CONFERENCE: Atlantic-10 (West Division)
LAST SEASON: 25-11 (.694)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 12-4 (2nd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 3/2
NICKNAME: Musketeers
COLORS: Navy Blue, Gray & White
HOMECOURT: Cincinnati Gardens (10,100)
COACH: Skip Prosser (Merchant Marine Academy '72)
record at school 106-45 (5 years)
career record 123-58 (6 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Jeff Battle (Marshall '85)
Mark Schmidt (Boston College '85)
Mark Gaffney (Bridgewater State '94)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 23-13-23-22-25
RPI (last 5 years) 40-138-30-31-49
1998-99 FINISH: NIT third place.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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There were an awful lot of "X" factors for Xavier during the off-season. Would head coach Skip Prosser make the leap to a larger school? Would former star Darnell Williams be able to return from a torn ACL? Who would replaced departed 1,000-point scorers James Posey, Lenny Brown and Gary Lumpkin? Which recruits would be eligible for the 1999-2000 season? The answers, in order: ú Prosser is indeed back in Cincinnati. This year's flirtations were mainly with Notre Dame, which considered him a finalist for the position that eventually went to Kansas assistant Matt Doherty. Most of the haggling took place during the Musketeer's run to the NIT final four, with Xavier's president and athletic director making frequent stops at the team hotel. It is more than coincidence that Prosser subsequently received a contract extension through the 2006-07 season. ú Williams, a 6-5 senior who outscored even the "big three" during the 1997-98 campaign (17.3 ppg), has used 15 months to rehabilitate from the knee injury he suffered during a '98 summer tour. All indications are that Williams will return to his All-Atlantic 10 form, but we won't know for sure until he faces "live" competition. "You never know how guys are going to come back from a traumatic injury like that," Prosser said honestly. "He should be the real leader of the team. His mental acceptance and dealing with that role will define our team [this] year."
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B+ BENCH/DEPTH B
FRONTCOURT B- INTANGIBLES B+
Xavier could be a sleeper on the national scene. If the Musketeers had one more guard, they would be in the Blue Ribbon Top 40. Instead, they must hope Darnell Williams is fully recovered from a torn ACL. He should be, given that some thought went into his returning to the team late last season. The Muskies could also use a breakout year from sophomore swingman Lloyd Price. And Maurice McAfee, the new starter at point guard, figures to be more than ready for the job. Count on enough things going right for Xavier to win the Atlantic 10 West Division. If the conference doesn't slip any further in the national power ratings, that would even be enough for an NCAA at-large bid. |
ú No one replaces a trio such as Posey, Brown and Lumpkin, who had a collective 11 seasons of starting experience. However, a healthy Williams and a confident Lloyd Price, the returning sophomore swingman, will certainly keep Xavier competitive. Sophomore point guard Maurice McAfee will also play a huge role. ú Top recruit David Young (New Castle HS/New castle, Pa.) is an academic redshirt. He would have been just the right insurance for Williams. Highly regarded point guard Lionel Chalmers (Albany HS/Albany, N.Y.) will probably join him on the sidelines. Chalmers is hung up in the dreaded NCAA clearinghouse awaiting an appeal pertaining to a core course requirement. His potential absence places even more pressure on McAfee to run the team. All other signees will be in uniform. However, none are certain impact players. So where does that leave the Musketeers? As usual, in the hands of what may yet be a stellar backcourt. Williams was arguably the best player in the conference in the year preceding his injury, yet he was frequently overshadowed by his more well known classmates. He is a fearless defender and shooter in the Xavier mold. However, Williams also makes jump shots (.559 FG, .448 3PT), which often placed his game at another level. "He's the one we feared most," said St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli. "He is so versatile." Williams averaged 32.9 minutes as a junior. If his recovery allows for similar duty as a redshirt senior, expect to hear his name called on NBA draft day next June. Starting alongside Williams will be McAfee, a 6-0 junior who has received meaningful minutes behind four-year starters Brown and Lumpkin. McAfee (8.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 2.5 apg) averaged 18.8 minutes per game as a sophomore and posted the kind of numbers that exceed many team's starters at the position. He has the game and the willingness, by all indications, to accept a promotion. "The biggest thing," Prosser told the Cincinnati Enquirer, "is that he has to take ownership of the team. The mental part will be as important as the physical." Price, another sophomore, takes his high-flying act from a sixth-man role to the starting lineup. The 6-5 slasher got 10 starts as a rookie, but was all too often a step behind the Division I game. This was unexpected considering his reputation coming in from Oak Hill (Va.) Academy. Yet Price (8.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg) remains a highly skilled player whose game is better suited to the lane than the three-point line (.217 3PT). Williams' presence could make a positive difference in his deployment. Up front, 6-8 sophomore Kevin Frey figures to retain one starting spot. Frey was a modest surprise as a freshman, getting a starting nod 30 times and producing 5.7 ppg and 5.0 rpg. That his minutes (24.6 per game) exceeded those of Price (23.4) may have been the upset of the season. Frey is no star, never will be, but could be a very effective forward for a perimeter-oriented offensive team. Frey and others would benefit from better low post play. Turns out former center Torraye Braggs was as large a loss as Williams last season. Prosser tried the center-by-committee approach, but was underwhelmed by the contributions of 6-10 senior Obi Harris (1.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg) and 6-10 junior Reggie Butler (1.6 ppg, 1.3 rpg). Butler has more potential, and may take a step forward after attending the Pete Newell "Big Man Camp" this summer. The X-men were so weak in the middle that Prosser often used 6-7 sophomore Aaron Turner (5.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg) at the center spot. It was an odd job for a freshman, especially playing out of position, but Xavier frequently had no choice. "What I'd like is for one of them to step forward and claim the job." Prosser confessed. Just in case no one does, the Musketeers added 6-9 junior Marcus Mason (Santa Monica College, Calif.) over the summer. Mason (13.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, .624 FG) is not as highly rated as Braggs was when the later signed from a California junior college, but he could earn a starting job just as quickly. Another live body in the frontcourt will be 6-8 forward David West (17.4 ppg, 8.9 rpg), a Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy product via Teaneck, N.J. West will push Frey and eventually earn a meaningful role of his own. Said Van Coleman's FutureStars: "David West is a steal. I don't think people realize how good he is on a national basis." Young and/or Chalmers would have solidified the backcourt equally well. Instead, Xavier will have to lean on 6-3 sophomore Alvin Brown (2.3 ppg) as its third guard, and also hope that Price can play swing minutes there (or that even Chalmers might somehow win his appeal). Another late signee, 6-5 sophomore Brandon McIntosh (Roger Bacon HS/Cincinnati, Oh.), attended Xavier last year but did not play basketball.
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