Dana and Victory

Announcing the D&V Podcast

You might have seen an announcement on Twitter about this, but I’m happy to say that Rick Broering of Musketeerreport.com and I will be recording a regular podcast about the Muskies under the aegis of Scout.com.

As of now, the first edition is available only to Musketeerreport.com subscribers.  It’s sort of a trial run.  Our vision ultimately would be to have an hour-long podcast where the first 40 minutes is free content and discussion and the last 20 minutes involves discussion of “premium” information for subscribers.  Under Scout.com’s rules and Rick’s contract, such information (loosely defined as anything involving recruiting that isn’t in the public domain) is premium.

We decided to do this for two reasons – one, there is a distinct lack of any in-depth Xavier talk in Cincinnati.  All respect to Mo Egger, who was apparently a reader of the site, but everyone knows that Reds, Bengals, UC drive the traditional media in this town.  Second, I’ve become a bit of a podcast obsessive – as a distance runner and someone who travels for work a bit it’s pretty awesome to be able to access content on the go and listen at your leisure.

Our intention is to tailor the podcast to whatever listeners want.  If you want a listener mailbag, we’ll do it.  If you want us to bring in guests (and we’ve got a couple very cool guests lined up), we’ll do it.  If there’s a contact you have that you think would make a good guest, let us know.  It’s all on the table.  Email danaandvictory@gmail.com or musketeerscoop@gmail.com to reach us.

This is the link to the first edition – which, as I said, is unfortunately available only to Musketeerreport.com subscribers.  If you’re not a subscriber, please consider taking advantage of the seven-day trial to browse the message boards, listen to the pod, and check out the recruiting database.  I believe Rick is also running a three months for the price of one deal right now.  If you’ve been a reader of this site, you know I don’t shill for much — Homage and Dana Gardens are pretty much the only corporate endorsements on the site AND I USE BOTH PRODUCTS EXCESSIVELY — but Rick is a friend, he does great work, and especially in a tumultuous offseason like this one you might enjoy the window into the process.

Topics include Mark Lyons’s departure, Rasheen Davis leaving for Manhattan, the McKenzie/Stainbrook switcheroo, some general chatter about the transfer process and how it differs from traditional prep recruiting, as well as a look at how the Muskies might move to fill the open scholarship in 2012.

http://xavier.scout.com/2/1181509.html

Chris Thomas to Xavier

[Mike Damone]

Xavier has had its share of multi-star pledges never make it to campus; hopefully Thomas is a different story

Though the entire staff of D&V may perish from auto-erotic asphyxiation, Xavier recruiting will continue. Case in point, multiple sources report today that Chris Thomas, a JUCO wing previously affixed five-star accolades and a #5 overall national ranking, committed to play at Xavier. If this holds and Thomas actually puts pen to paper to consummate enrollment, it would mark Xavier’s second five-star recruit and first since incoming freshman Semaj Christon.

Thomas’ scholastic history is a tad mottled, having transferred through several school before enrolling at a junior college in Florida. And after completing his lone JUCO season, Thomas would presumably begin with three years of basketball-playing eligibility beginning in 2013-14.

Though Thomas’ situation comes with some uncertainty, as there is still the issue of whether he will qualify out of Chipola Junior College, he is no doubt a hot commodity and was at one point being recruited with verve by Kentucky and Florida. But for the time being, at least, he appears destined for Victory Parkway.

Nevertheless, welcome to Xavier, Chris. Wow.

End of the Line

[J.] This is the end of the third season of Dana & Victory.  Over the past three years (two on WordPress at this address, one on the old Tumblr site), we have posted the better part of one thousand articles about Xavier basketball and other ephemera and probably three-quarters of a million words. Our site has never advertised its presence other than posting occasional links on Xavier Hoops and Musketeer Madness, yet in that brief lifespan was able to build a consistent and loyal readership that crept into four figures on big news days or after big games.  I like to think that’s because XU fans of a particular stripe got something out of this site they couldn’t get elsewhere.

But all things come to an end, and this is the end of D&V, at least as presently constituted.

The reason is simple – time. All four of us have full-time-plus jobs that make the level of engagement necessary to provide quality content very difficult.  In addition, several of us are going through major life transitions at the moment – Damone is allegedly getting hitched, Thrillhouse is moving away from Cincinnati, and I’ve been dealing with health issues in my family.  None of us are going to be capable of maintaining the site at the level of care you, as readers, expect.

There were three options available.  One, continue the site with the same contributors but scale back our coverage. Two, bring in someone new as the lead editor of the site and keep us as contributors moving forward.  Three, close the site down.

We rejected the first two options.  There’s no point in doing things half-assed, even if it is a hobby.  Several very articulate, talented, and funny people contacted me in the past few weeks to inquire about taking over the site, but as I thought about it, I realized it was something I couldn’t do. D&V, whatever its modest readership and cachet in the XU basketball online community, has a particular voice and viewpoint and editorial style.  Handing the reins to someone else didn’t seem palatable – not because the options were bad, but because there’s no need for it.

The greatest thing about blogging is that there are virtually zero barriers to entry.  The annual expense of running this site is about $30 for the domain name and $20 for a KenPom subscription I would have purchased anyway.  If you have a viewpoint, some spare time, and a willingness to provide quality content, you can provide value to potential readers.  And if you’re good over time, people will read your stuff.  So I would say to those that had interest in taking over D&V – why bother?  You can do what we did just as well, and in a style and voice of your own choosing.

I wanted to thank all of our readers and especially those who commented on the site.  I’ll mention especially “Mel Cooley”, who has been a constant supporter of the site since day one, as well as Spice, Don Magic, JTT, Turtle, and numerous others.  I also wanted to thank the network of friends and correspondents outside the Xavier community I’ve made over the years, especially the various voices of The Blackburn Review.  Andrew at Xavier Hoops has been a longtime supporter and has promoted the site, as has Gary at MM.  Rick Broering from Musketeerreport.com has been a great resource and friend of the site as well.

Here’s what will happen here – this site will stay up until it’s time to renew the domain, at which point it will be deleted.  All of us will maintain our twitter accounts, and I’ll tweet links or bits of info I come across as needed.  If any further projects – podcasts, other websites, etc. – arise involving members of our team, I will post that information here and tweet a link.  The danaandvictory@gmail.com address will remain active, and feel free to use it, I will check it.  And of course all of us will continue to be active on Xavier Hoops, which is where we began.

Most of all, I want to thank the people that do the work that gave this site life.  The Xavier Athletic Department probably are not big fans of this site – we never held back criticism (or withheld praise) when we thought it was deserved – but no one ever pressured us into taking any post down.  The coaching staff at Xavier – Chris Mack, Travis Steele, Kareem Richardson, and Rasheen Davis (as well as former coach Pat Kelsey) and the Athletic Department staff – including Mike Bobinski, Tom Eiser, marketing folks, etc. – are responsible for the show you see on game night, and they deserve your respect.

The same applies to the student-athletes.  Being a college student is not the easiest thing in the world, and I cannot imagine how difficult it is to play big-time athletics while struggling with the social and academic demands that exist for any 18-22 year old person on a college campus. I salute and honor all of the players we’ve covered over the past three years – especially guys like Tu Holloway, Jason Love, Dante Jackson, Jamel McLean, Brad Redford, Mark Lyons, etc. — for all their efforts on and off the court.  Xavier basketball is in a great place in 2012 primarily due to their efforts.

Thanks, and we’ll see you later.

D&V Postseason Roundup Pt. III – The Present and Future

Looking at college basketball as a whole, what is the overriding story or theme of this season?  Who are the teams, players, coaches that stick out to you?  Who would be your POY?  Your COY? [These responses were written prior to the Final Four games.]

THRILL – I’m no John Calipari fan, and half heartedly wish John Chaney had followed up on his threats, but I have to admit I like watching this years UK team. When they bring their ‘A’ game they are unbeatable. Davis and MKG are a hell of a tandem and Darius Miller should get more attention for his solid play. So I’m gonna go with Anthony Davis for POY.

Coach of the Year is a bit tougher to choose. If this was asked pre-tourney I’d probably go with the crowd and pick Frank Haith. I don’t like the guy, but Tom Crean did a great job bringing Indiana back to national relevance. But in the end I’m gonna stick with my UK theme and go with Coach Cal. Yes, tons of talent and pre-season #2, but they were a last second shot away from perfect regular season and found a way to exceed high expectations by being so dominating. Of course now UK will probably lose to UofL.

And one huge story and theme I have hated of the past year is conference realignment. Sucks that so many great rivalries are now dead because of football money.

Mike Damone – I don’t know whether this was a pervading theme of the season, but this year didn’t have the same number of upstarts maybe in years past. Sure, the top 25 was sprinkled with a handful of teams from the non-power conferences, and Murray State was certainly a pleasant story this season, but the NCAA Tournament was a showcase of college basketball’s “haves”. Norfolk State and Lehigh toppled the mighty as 15-seeds, but couldn’t survive the opening weekend, both losing by double-digits. Two of the preseason’s top four teams (Ohio State and Kentucky) are in the Final Four, and the #1 spot in the rankings was a three-team rotation all season long, with Kentucky holding the top spot for the last two months. Not saying at all this was a boring college basketball season, but it was one for the big boys. The Final Four is comprised of teams who who have been there within the last few years, with Louisville ending the longest Final Four drought of the four at just seven years. And, of course, the conference realignment talk is insufferable. Couple this with the stream of transfers and coaching changes, and college basketball is truly a nomadic realm.

As far as college basketball’s coach of the year, not to be milquetoast, but I would have to go with Tom Izzo. Michigan State wasn’t in anyone’s preseason top 25, yet it earned 29 wins and a 1-seed despite a challenging Big Ten slate. Granted, what Calipari does is not easy. It’s no small feat to recruit kids of that caliber onto one team, and then get them to play together and collect 32 wins per season. Not easy at all. Both deserve major accolades. Cal’s Kentucky team is perhaps one of the better teams we have seen in the past few years and, if they win it all, may go down as one of the best since maybe that 1996 Kentucky team under Louisville’s current coach.

For players of the year, I really like Thomas Robinson of Kansas. Anthony Davis alters the game for the opposition, but Thomas Robinson does so many things well and is just a man inside. I’m trying to remove the blue-colored glasses, but I still think Tu Holloway is one of the best guards in America. Anthony Davis is the clear Player of the Year for me.  He is just a freak.  Teams cannot drive the lane on UK this year.  And this past month, his offensive game has been terrific as well.  Thomas Robinson and Greg McDermott are great players, but they aren’t once in a decade talents like Davis is.  It just sucks he went to UK and the most insufferable fanbase in the country.

As far as Coach of the Year, you could make a case for a few guys.  Frank Haith, John Calipari, Tom Crean, Bill Self, Tom Izzo and maybe even Jim Boeheim are all deserving in one way or another.  In the end, I’d probably go with Bill Self.  Winning yet another Big 12 title and getting to the NCAA title game with not a ton of talent, by KU standards anyways, has been a great accomplishment.      As far as other themes go, the charge/block call has officially taken over college basketball.  I don’t think players or coaches quite know what to do with the refs these days.  The flopping is also out of control (Looking at you Conlin…).  There’s going to have to be some kind of overhaul with the officiating system in men’s basketball.  These guys just ref way too many games throughout the year.  I feel like every game I call one of my best friends solely to bitch about how incompetent the refs are. The conference realignment talk is also quite annoying.  Losing Temple is a pretty big blow, but if Butler are to replace them that’d be a great addition.

Jarndyce - Unlike you guys, I have the benefit of writing this after the championship game.  Going into the tournament I would have probably selected Robinson as player of the year, but having watched the UK-Kansas game and seen the immense effect that Anthony Davis has on every possession, I would have to select Davis.  It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a player of his caliber.  As a freshman he is already as dominant a defensive post player as Kenyon Martin (oft considered the gold standard in these matters) was in his final season.  Offensively, he’s added some nice skills to his game (he scored on three different post hook shots against Kansas, for example)  and just provides an intimidating, productive presence for the Wildcats.  He’s been the best player in college basketball this season.

I have Bill Self as my coach of the year.  At one point during the national final, both teams made double substitutions.  Self brought on two walk-ons, Cal brought on two former five-star McDonald’s All-Americans.  Kansas looked shaky for huge segments of the season, but they displayed a unbelievable focus in the tournament, consistently making note-perfect halftime adjustments and cranking up the defense.  They overhauled leads against some of the most assured, well-coached teams in America.  And despite his multimillion dollar salary, he continues to wear a muskrat on his scalp.  For all these reasons, I’ve got Self as COY.

There were a number of overarching storylines that dominated this season.  Something has to be done about the one-and-done rule, although I haven’t a clue what.  I agree with Damone that the prevalence of transfers cannot be a particularly good thing, but by the same token I’m not sure why we should be surprised – it’s the rare Top 150 recruit that doesn’t burn through 2-3 high schools/prep schools these days, and kids are coddled from such a young age that everyone believes they ought to get 25-30 minutes of run from the second they set foot on campus.  Conference realignment sucks, and we’re getting to the point that conferences are becoming a waste of everyone’s time.  If you can’t play everyone in your conference in basketball every year that is absurd, yet the 489-team Big East is likely to do just that.  The proposed additions to the A-10 don’t do much for me either.  Officiating this year was a tire fire, but the slow pace of play, low-scoring games, and the late-90s NBA trend we’re on is worse.  Yet despite these challenges, the game seems healthy.

At the beginning of the season, our question was whether Xavier could make a Final Four in the foreseeable future.  Has this season changed your viewpoint?  How do you feel about the future of the Xavier program after this season’s unlikely Sweet Sixteen run?

THRILL – I was the D&V contributor that picked Final 4 for X in our preseason thoughts and while it didn’t happen this season I still feel it will happen some day. I don’t know if it will be the immediate future or if I’ll be old and gray, but it will happen. I do love the recruiting class that is coming in next season. Not just because of their talent, but you can tell they are all very excited to come to Xavier and they all seem like a tight knit group. It will be exciting to see how that group progresses.

Mike Damone – This season has not changed my viewpoint that Xavier can make a Final Four in the foreseeable future. Like I said in the preseason, I just don’t think a Final Four run will occur in a season where we think we have all the pieces in place (maybe next season will be it??). I didn’t feel great about the future of the program a month ago; I was afraid irreparable damage had been done. The Xavier administration appeared without a clue after December 10 and its men’s basketball team was subsequently without direction. Now I feel the program is as healthy as ever, and that’s a great tribute to the members of the 2011-12 team and the Xavier coaching staff. It’s amazing what winning can do.

Jarndyce – My view, unpopular though it might be, is that Xavier is probably close to its ceiling as a consistent Top 25 team barring unforeseen and substantial change.  By that, I mean that I don’t know that any A-10 program can ever rise much further than the level X has enjoyed over the last 5-7 years.  But there are a lot of variables that could change that state of affairs.  Chris Mack’s staff has certainly elevated the level of player they target in recruiting — and although they’ve had to navigate around a few bad classes, next year’s freshmen are very highly regarded.  Furthermore, at some point the conference realignment situation will result in a change in circumstances for Xavier – good or ill.

But even the above opinion doesn’t mean X cannot make the Final Four in the foreseeable future.  If you consistently advance to that second weekend, eventually the breaks will fall in your favor.  Levance Fields misses that three.  Anthony Myles doesn’t foul out.  Jake Pullen doesn’t go completely off.  Oden gets called for a flagrant.  Wells and Walker don’t get hurt.  Western Kentucky upsets UCLA.  Guys get hot at the right time and X springs a signature upset.  There’s no reason to believe it won’t happen, just as there’s no guarantee it will.  Unlike the NBA, where the best team nearly always advances, the NCAA Tournament is random enough that teams like Butler and VCU and Mason (and Davidson, Kent State, etc. before them) can make those deep incursions.  The more chances X has, the better the likelihood.

Golf – It’s a question of faith.  I certainly have faith Xavier will make the final four sometime.  Will it be soon?  I hope so.  All I know is that if we continue to knock on the door, one day it should open.  It’s why I’m constantly harping on our league success.  Winning the conference regular season title should be one of the biggest goals to start the season every single year.  It’s been the foundation to our success the past several seasons.  Win the league, get into the tournament and hopefully soon enough our time will come.  I would think Coach Mack learned some valuable lessons this season in how to run a team.  Both in regards to crisis management and basketball strategy.  A marked improvement must be made on the defensive side of the ball next season.  But I’m not too worried, I still have confidence in Coach Mack and this program.

Postseason Roundup Pt. II: Tu, Kenny, and the Young’uns

The Muskies bid farewell to Tu Holloway and Kenny Frease, two four-year players that have enjoyed incredible success in the blue and white.  What are your reflections on their storied careers?  How will Holloway and Frease be remembered in the future?

THRILL – Tu = BALLS OF STEEL. Byron put it best when he said Terrell Holloway has cojones the size of watermelons. Throughout the course of his 4 year career, no one hit as many clutch shots as Tu. I already miss him. I hope someday #52 is in the rafters alongside of 23, 30, 33 and 42. Kenny helped turn around his legacy with the way he played the final month of his X career. Kenny’s career was maddening at times but at the end he showed up when X needed him the most. The Sweet 16 run doesn’t happen without Kenny playing his butt off. So I’ll remember him as another XU senior who didn’t want his career to end too soon.

Mike Damone – Need to choose my words carefully, but I think Tu Holloway presents a viable argument that he is the greatest player to ever play at Xavier. No player welcomed more pressure and thrived more in primetime than Tu. David West may have been the best player and the last real game-changer we’ve had prior to Holloway, but West succeeded often because he was the most gifted, biggest, strongest and smartest player on the floor. Holloway was the toughest, most determined and unflinching. Never seen a player like Holloway, and I watched every single game of West’s career at Xavier.

Kenny Frease will, and should, be remembered fondly. We always have a player seemingly every couple years who, after a relatively decent career, really puts it all together in the final games. There was Lionel Chalmers in 2004, who actually played himself into the NBA Draft by way of March. Justin Cage played the best game of his career in a heartbreaking final game in 2007. Josh Duncan was a physical specimen who still chapped Sean Miller when he held himself out of game action with injuries, but he was arguably the most complete player in the conference and a key to Xavier’s 2008 Elite Eight run. Frease can go on this list. Kenny appeared to regress a tad from his junior year, though he did have some solid games, but he was the player Xavier fans had always dreamed he would be during the NCAA Tournament. It was nice to see, for a change, a team (Lehigh) feel completely helpless against Frease. Lehigh was resigned to hacking at Frease’s arms on every rebound or essentially holding on to his legs when he tried to get the ball in the post. If a shot missed, no problem. Frease would just pick it out of the air and put it home. Despite whatever lulls in his senior season, we would not have made it to the Sweet 16 without Kenny.

Jarndyce — I’m down the line with you two guys about Holloway.  I think he’s certainly the finest point guard in Xavier history, and probably the most clutch player in recent memory. If you charted out his ten biggest shots or moments it would be basically a highlight reel of Xavier’s biggest wins in the past three years.  He had a warrior mindset and a true belief in himself so strong that on the rare occasions he faltered — Marquette, Baylor — his response seemed more surprise than devastation.  A one of a kind player – we’ll not see his like again anytime soon.

As far as Frease goes, I think we all wish his development arc had been more smooth and that he would have been the dependable interior scorer we saw his junior year all season.  But it just isn’t that easy, especially for a young man struggling not only with his conditioning and technique but also with his own confidence and the confidence of his teammates.  If Kenny had less of a conscience on the floor and didn’t wear the frustrations, he might have been more consistent.  But ultimately I couldn’t be happier that a season of frustration ended with a series of fine performances.

Golf – Tu is just a legend.  His late game heroics are unmatched in Xavier’s history and I can’t imagine they’ll be matched anytime soon.  It will be interesting to see if his jersey will be retired at some point.  There’s really nothing else that needs to be said.  Kenny is a much more curious case.  He’s been much maligned by a portion of the fan base (I’ve been one of those fans from time to time) fairly or unfairly, but he’s been a very good servant to the Xavier cause and should be remembered fondly.

I thought Jarndyce hit it spot on in the senior day preview.  Kenny definitely knew his time was almost up so he played accordingly during our run.  I would think he’ll come to regret not giving it his all 100% of the time during his four years at X.  Now don’t get me wrong, this is completely do as I say not as I do.  Getting drunk three nights a week like I did for most of my junior and senior years doesn’t give me much of a leg to stand on as far as criticizing a Xavier basketball player for not giving full commitment to the cause.  But I do think most fans will come to look upon Kenny’s tenure here at Xavier in a good way.  In the end, it’s not everyday a quality 7 footer comes into the program and contributes for four years.  See you at the Derby Kenny.

Leaving aside Tu, Frease, Walker, and Lyons for the time being, who were the most impressive young players on XU’s roster?  Who stuck out to you as a potential member of the next generation of Xavier greats?

THRILL – Easy question, Dez Wells. Only a freshman and is built like an NFL TE. What surprised me the most about Dez’s game is his outside shot is decent. And that curl in the lane is unstoppable. Dez had one of the best freshman seasons in X history. Future is very bright for him. I also liked what I saw from Dee Davis in March. I know we are all excited for Semaj, but I wouldn’t count out Dee. Having multiple capable PG’s is not a bad thing.

Mike Damone – Yes, Dez Wells without a doubt. He will carry the torch of Musketeer stars and tough SOBs when its March in Xavier-land. There were high expectations of Dez coming in, which I believe he even exceeded. His athleticism is unmatched, his motor is always going, and his outside shot is coming along. He will soon be a complete player and future Xavier star.

Dee Davis seemed physically over-matched at times during the season, but he really came on during the NCAA Tournament. He will be a very feisty defender and ball-hawk for XU, as well as a rugged point guard.

Justin Martin seemed like he wasn’t getting it, but like Dee, he did whatever was asked of him during the Tourney and even chipped in a couple buckets.  I don’t know what Davis’ future holds at Xavier. He deserves a shot to start next year, but if he’s not the guy, I really hope he sticks around. He’s tough, quick and savvy. Any team would love to have a back-up point guard like Davis, but whether he would envision himself as such is a big question. Martin’s length and (presumed) shooting ability will make him a weapon, but whether he can put it all together remains to be seen. Regardless, both will have something positive on which to build heading into the offseason, and that makes a huge difference.

Golf – Like Thrill and Damone wrote, Dez Wells is clearly the future for Xavier basketball.  He and Lyons will be the keys to our success next year.  As far as the other young players, it’s hard not to like what Dee Davis brings to the table.  Great on the ball defense, good ball handling, and the occasional three are intangibles every team needs to be successful.  Over the course of Dee’s career at Xavier i would think he will continue to improve his shooting and getting to the basket abilities.  Maybe he won’t be our premier guard, but he will have a very important role to play the next three season.  Hopefully Justin Martin realized how much work goes into being a good college basketball player at a high end program.  He seemed to get it down the stretch, but we’re going to need him to be a key contributor next season.

Jarndyce – This was pretty much a baited question trying to get everyone to trip over each other with superlatives for Dez Wells.  IT WORKED.  But all the tributes are well-deserved.  Wells started at a level of physical maturity unseen in a Xavier freshman since Romain Sato.  But just as importantly, Wells’s game improved and his control improved as the season went on.  His mental toughness and positive attitude were put to the test when he was the most sternly punished XU player after the brawl (and deservedly so), but he bounced back and brought energy to the team at times when it was desperately needed.  His performance against Saint Louis was one of the highlights of the season – unstoppable drives to the basket with a variety of finishing moves – and his injury against Lehigh was devastating for the Muskies when the time came to attack Baylor’s athletes.  He’s got nowhere to go but up.

Davis was awesome down the stretch and if he gets his shot working the way it was in high school he’ll be a valuable piece.  Hard-nosed player that can really heat up opposing guards and works hard in the trenches.  Martin is an interesting case – great physical skills but uneven effort.  The minutes will be there for him next year if he comes back – the question is how will he react in the summer?

Unfortunately, the picture was not as rosy for the other “new” players.  Travis Taylor showed his aptitude on the glass, but his inability to finish at the rim and lack of size made him a target for opposing defenses.  He needs to beef up this offseason and work on his foul shooting and post moves.  Jeff Robinson didn’t really progress this season but still shows signs of life.  His senior season will be interesting – a vigorous summer of conditioning and skill development (in the vein of Frease and Love’s transformation tours) could turn him into a beast.  Brad Redford was ineffective as he tried to recover from a knee injury – his defense has been upgraded from liability to average but he didn’t shoot at all this season.

Obviously, X will need some major improvements from those players going into next season.

McKenzie to Transfer

Not a surprise.  Best of luck to Griff.

D&V Postseason Roundup – Part I – General Thoughts and Best Moments

A season of great expectations for the Musketeers commenced in November.  The team started strong, and then lost their way – but, just when all seemed lost, Xavier’s seniors led their mates back to the Sweet 16.  Your thoughts and reflections on this season.

THRILL – Until March, this looked like a season that I wanted to forget happened and one that would end up the most disappointing since the 1998-99 season. Then Tu went Tu on everyone and Kenny played the best ball of his X career. I’m proud of how the guys came together and responded in March when many fans, including myself, thought it was a lost year. After the dreaded Crosstown brawl, Tu said he had tough guys in the locker room. He was right and they showed that in the end.

Mike Damone – One of these days, we’ll all learn. As was evident in my postgamers through much of January and February, I did not have much faith in this team making anything of this season. But March really came out of nowhere with a run we hadn’t seen since the last time Xavier needed a run to make the Dance (2006). Then they win two more and make another Sweet 16. Wow. No one will confuse Notre Dame or Lehigh for the current Final Four ticket, but those are still two teams Xavier does not beat a month or two ago. They could have ended this season with a loss to UD in the conference tourney and finished in the NIT. A cloud would have hung over the season and program, and some serious questions would be hovering, like “what went wrong?”  or “will we ever recover?” Thankfully, we won’t be dealing with that this offseason, and the program can just move on to working towards reaching the next level. Xavier became a different team when it needed to be. They still didn’t go as far as I was hoping they would go when we were making predictions back in November, but the way this team banded together saved, I think, not only the season, but the program.

Jarndyce – This was one of the most disjointed and bizarre basketball seasons I can remember.  It was a breathless rush from start to finish, to the point that when there were week-long breaks from action, or during the lulls in tournament play, as a fan I was somewhat relieved not to have to think about it.  But ultimately the boys pulled together (as they usually do) and produced another memorable finish.  I don’t know if the strong finish “saved the program” — I tend to think a poor season like this would have been a mere  blip on the radar in a few years.  Every school — even top-class programs like UNC, Kentucky, Pitt, Ohio State, etc. — has down years.  But if this season had gone haywire, with the best team in school history on paper, it would have been a particular disappointment.

Most of all, I’m glad that the lingering memory of this season for Xavier fans will be a strong run to the Sweet 16.  I think that fans, players, and coaches at both Xavier and UC were able to end their seasons on such a high note that the ugliness of the brawl will fade.

Golf – It’s still difficult for me to have a well thought out perspective on the year.  I went from being embarrassed by the fight, to now ordering a “zip em up” t-shirt to proudly wear in the future.  I just got so sick of the backlash and want to throw it right back in people’s faces.  Clearly, it was much more the post-game comments that got Xavier in the most trouble even though Tu clarified what he meant RIGHT AFTER he made the “gangsta” quote.  But the worldwide leader had their soundbite and that was all she wrote.  Anyways, it was a great way to finish the season.  4 sweet 16’s in 5 years is pretty remarkable.  Everyone is clamoring for a final four, but there’s a reason we keep knocking on the door and can’t quite make it to the final weekend, it’s freaking hard to do.  Screw you Butler.

Even though we finished in the mid 60’s defensively according to Ken Pom I still feel like the defense was not that good throughout the year.  Too many times we saw our small guards trying to defend much bigger post players after a simple pick from the the opposition.  I guess it just feels weird that we made it so far.  Take St. Louis for example.  By every other measure, they had a better season than us.  But largely because we got Lehigh in the 2nd round and they got Michigan State, our season is now looked upon as being more successful.  It’s an odd way to settle things, but it’s how we do it.

What were the most memorable moments of this season?  They can be games, particular shots, moments of tension on the floor.  Ten years from now, what specifics will you remember about the 2011-12 season?  (Good AND bad)

THRILL – The game vs. Purdue ranks up there as one of the most exciting games I’ve seen in person. Tu showed in that game why he is the ballsiest player in X history. That was my favorite moment of the regular season. Obviously the postseason (A10 and NCAA’s) victories were great. Tu’s game winner vs. Notre Dame was the shot of the first round. The non-shootout related bad memories I will likely have are the slow starts to games (especially the Baylor game) and how much X struggled in the regular season to respond to opponents runs. That Saint Louis game that X came out so flat in the 2nd half was about as aggravated as I had been with a Xavier team.

Mike Damone – Well, this season will forever be remembered as the season of the brawl, but that’s inevitable. This season felt like three, so there’s a lot to remember. There were some outstanding games not so much because of the opponent, but because of the comebacks. You could really set your watch to Holloway this season. He was probably the most clutch player in college basketball, and he really never failed when Xavier needed a bucket at money time. His display against Purdue was like Reggie Miller against the Knicks in 1995, not to mention the two BIG three’s he splashed from the wing at Vanderbilt just a few days prior. He saved us from disaster with that rolling bucket against GW, and put on an unreal display at home against Dayton in overtime. We were really humbled this season with the thrashings at La Salle, Dayton, Temple and UMass, not to mention the abysmal second half at Saint Louis, but that made the two NCAA wins that much greater. We played possessed the last few minutes against UD in the conference tourney and a very complete game against Saint Louis the next day.

In the 2012 NCAA Tournament, I’ll never forget how we battled. We battled to win against Notre Dame and Lehigh, and even though we lost to a Baylor team much better than us, we really fought. I’ll remember Xavier being lost, but reclaiming this season.

Golf – I agree, this season did feel longer than usual because of all the off the court issues.  Even though we made another nice run, I’ll remember last year’s team more fondly.  I’m so sick of hearing/talking about the “brawl” I’m not even gonna address it.  That Purdue game was just awesome to be at with those clutch 3’s Tu hit down the stretch.  Still can’t believe we won that game, or the Vanderbilt one for that matter.  Making a scene at the BW’s in Clarksville, IN after beating Dayton in the A-10 tournament was pretty fantastic as well.

Jarndyce — Obviously, the brawl is the single most indelible moment of the season.  It’s been dealt with in such a long-winded fashion here and elsewhere it’s not much use going over it again.  Suffice it to say that the fight and its aftermath presented the Xavier administration, coaching staff, and players with as difficult a PR and identity challenge as the program has faced in three decades.  I believe that the results in March showed the players and coaches persevered.  I’m not as sanguine about the school’s reaction, and that is a worry going forward.

It was a season of incredible ups and downs.  For me the most memorable game of the season was the first 39:50 of the Crosstown Shootout.  The Musketeers put on an absolute clinic of confident execution, absolutely punishing a talented UC team  at every square inch of the court.  Even Musketeer reserves like Brad Redford and Justin Martin got into the act, coming on and besting their rivals with energy and execution.

Tu’s heroics against Purdue were incredible, but I think my favorite moment of the season was the lightning 11-0 run that salvaged the Vanderbilt game.  It was just a beautiful sequence of outstanding defense and transition execution by Mark Lyons and Tu Holloway, two players who rose up when needed all year long.  My favorite non-Holloway individual performances were Kenny Frease’s dominant turn against Lehigh, singlehandedly keeping the team in touch in the first half and then going absolutely off against Gabe Knutsen and mates in the second, and Dez Wells against Saint Louis in the A-10 Tournament, just an incredible sequence of acrobatic drives and finishes that showcase Wells’s immense talent and basketball nous. The best game of the season was probably the home game against Dayton.  The Muskies produced a desperate performance while their confidence and performance were at their lowest ebb.

[More tomorrow]

Our Next Steps

[J.]  I wanted to briefly thank all the readers who posted messages of support for the site in the comment thread for Damone’s postgame writeup of the Baylor loss.  It has been an interesting season, alternatively depressing and uplifting, but happily it ended on a positive note for the Musketeers.

Next week, after the Final Four, we will be posting some staff roundtables trying to summarize this crazy season.  After that, it’s a bit up for grabs.  When we know, you’ll know.  Thanks for reading!

Too tough to die

[Mike Damone]

Holloway will be remembered as one of the greatest to ever play at Xavier

The Xavier basketball program is past the point where moral victories are of any value, but in a season that was often more about Xavier’s mental state than basketball acumen, watching this team fight Friday night gave almost equal satisfaction. Almost. Hampered by a slow start which saw it fall behind 22-4, Xavier could never overtake the Baylor Bears (30-7), falling in the NCAA South Region semi-final, 75-70, and ending its the season in the Sweet 16.

Like all seasons that come to an abrupt close, this one leaves us in contemplative sorrow. We are left restless to wonder what could have been had Xavier not fallen in such a monumental hole to start, or if its three-point shooting had just been a tad better than 20 percent. But maybe the most difficult notion with which to wrestle is the image of perhaps one of the university’s greatest players wearing a Xavier uniform for the final time. Tu Holloway no doubt left his mark on Xavier university, a legacy of fearlessness, determination, sheer will, and lots of wins. He may not have put up the numbers of Larkin or West, but no Xavier player in history put more on his own shoulders and carried Xavier to victory more often than Holloway. Holloway should be pinned as one of the top five greatest players to ever put on a Xavier uniform.

In the frontcourt, Kenny Frease saved the best basketball of his career for his final three games, perhaps finally realizing that the time in his promising career was running out. At no point in Frease’s career had he gone to the basket with such force and control than he did this March. Often perceived as a potential key piece that was holding this team back, Xavier would not have made the second weekend of the Tournament without Kenny.

A player of much character, Walker gave everything he had in his lone season with the Musketeers

Andre Walker, who was asked to come to Xavier likely to supplement Frease’s veteran leadership and to be the “glue” for a Xavier team perceived to be embarrassingly rich with talent. Instead, Xavier asked Walker to be much more, and he responded with integrity. He was certainly Xavier’s most versatile defender and most rugged rebounder, no doubt saving XU in the dog days of January and February.

Despite Holloway’s game-high 22 points and Frease’s 18, the Musketeers could not overcome the length, athleticism and scoring depth of Baylor. Xavier was able to survive droughts against Notre Dame and Lehigh in the opening rounds, but the Irish did not have the athleticism and the Mountain Hawks the offensive weaponry of the Bears. Before Xavier could even get a feel for the game’s pace, they were down 12-2 less than five minutes in. Three minutes later, it was 22-4.

XU could have packed up and called it a solid season, especially after making the unexpected run to the Sweet Sixteen, but it didn’t. Trailing 33-16 but with the Bears’ brute Quincy Acy on the bench, Xavier went on a 13-0 run off renewed defensive energy, crisp ball movement and a commitment to driving the ball into the teeth of Baylor’s defense. Frease was responsible for eight points on the game-changing run, highlighted by a dunk off a precise behind-the-back assist from Walker. Xavier could have gone in with more momentum had Mark Lyons finished his 1-and-1 and Pierre Jackson not drained a three before the break to halt Xavier’s run. Nevertheless, Xavier trimmed an 18-point deficit to seven by the half, 36-29, and went into the locker room very much alive.

In March, Frease transformed into the post presence Xavier had imagined

But Xavier could never truly threaten the notion that Baylor was going to win Friday night. The Musketeers’ defense was there, for the most part, but Xavier’s inability to score consistently hindered their upset bid. Specifically, the Musketeers could not hit a jump shot, relying for offense on either a close-range bucket from Kenny, a driving lay-up from Lyons against the trees, or trips to the line. When Xavier needed a three and offered, there was no give. In fact, the Musketeers did not connect from long-range until Justin Martin’s triple cut Xavier’s deficit to 10, 67-57, with barely two minutes left in the game.

But despite Xavier’s limitations — namely Dez Wells’ obvious pain, Walker’s concussed cranium, Xavier’s dearth of scoring at power forward, and its overall inability to shoot the ball into the ocean — it never gave up on this game, which was an appropriate summation of the Musketeers’ season in general. Baylor led by 12 with 1:41 to play, yet Xavier somehow cut it to three, 71-68, with 23 seconds left. Yet they could never get that one stop or that one bucket that would help them believe Baylor was no different than Notre Dame or Lehigh, though they very much were.

Lyons will return next season as Xavier's prohibitive leader

When there was still time enough to do anything, Xavier could never manage its deficit beyond four or five. When Xavier got it to four with 13:27 to play and Martin got a good look at a three to cut it to one, it missed and Baylor responded on the other end with a three to extend their lead to seven. Xavier cut their deficit to five, 55-50, with 8:11 left, but Wells missed an up-and-under before Acy, on the other end, bulled his way over Frease for a dunk which put the Bears’ lead back at seven. Acy followed that up with another one of his thundering yams to put Bayler up nine. This was essentially the game for the Musketeers, as they could not cut their deficit to a possession until there were just a few seconds remaining. Baylor stretched their lead to as much as 13 in the final minutes, and once Xavier got it to within three, it was too late as the Musketeers were resigned to putting Brady Heslip, a 94 percent free-throw shooter, at the line twice to put the game out of reach.

The loss was deflating, no doubt, as the Musketeers overcame their opening minutes of vapidity to make it a game. Had they come out like they did against Notre Dame or in the second half against Lehigh, and connected better than 3-of-15 from long-range, they may have survived to Sunday. Instead, Xavier will have to be satisfied with a fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five years and its players must know, at least, they salvaged what was turning out to be one of the more macabre seasons in Xavier’s history.

Martin and Dee Davis turned in one of the best performances of the duo’s career. Martin canned 66 percent of Xavier’s three-pointers against Baylor, and also became a more consistent rebounding force for Xavier over the last two games. Davis continued to be a dogged defender against Baylor and, but-for some questionable blocking fouls he sustained, may have lived to play a more prominent role in Xavier’s defensive effort. Still, their final performance in the 2011-12 season provides much hope.

This inevitably brings us to contemplate Xavier’s future, which seemed so much more grim 16 days ago when it appeared the Musketeers were not going to make the NCAA Tournament.

There was always a pall of uncertainty this season clouding Lyons’ future at Xavier. There were questions as to whether he and Mack were at odds, and whether such disagreement was irreparable. Such concern has been somewhat allayed, as Lyons declared, almost immediately after the loss, that he would be exhausting his athletic eligibility at Xavier and would therefore return to play next season. There had been few polarizing players on this Xavier team as Mark Lyons, as some believed his attitude was more a hindrance to Xavier’s reconstruction this season than a catalyst. Regardless of whether you find this notion silly, it was palpable. Nevertheless, Lyons will return next season as the most veteran player of this team and it will, no doubt, be his to lead.

The 2011-12 Xavier basketball season will go down as one of the greatest comeback stories this program has witnessed. A team that many, including myself, had left for dead, persevered to have one of the most successful seasons in school history. A team criticized for being weak mentally, poor emotionally and lacking physically proved to be anything but, shrugging off the notion of what others believed them to be and staying true to the team’s mission. Though the won-loss record may not have been the prettiest, this team won when it mattered and undoubtedly continued the tradition of a proud program.

TURNING POINT - With Xavier trailing by five, 55-50, with 8:11 to play and Baylor’s shot clock winding down, Acy received the ball just outside the post and was bodied up defensively by Frease. Acy lowered his shoulder, knocking down Frease, but no call was made, allowing Acy unabated to the hoop for a dunk to extend Baylor’s lead to seven. Xavier got no closer until it was too late. 

GAME NOTES –

• Backcourt shooting – The scoring limitations of Xavier’s frontcourt have been well-documented this season, but for the Musketeers to have much of a chance against Baylor, they needed solid games from Holloway and Lyons. Though the pair combined for 38 points, they struggled shooting the basketball, going just 11-for-28 from the floor and 1-of-9 from three. Lyons 0-fer from deep — when he is a 40 percent three-point shooter on the season — was a major problem. Lyons and Holloway’s early struggles allowed Baylor to stake the gaudy early lead, as Frease and Jeff Robinson combined to notch eight of the Musketeers’ first 10 points, which alone took 10 minutes for Xavier to score.
• So close - Xavier is 0-3 in its last three regional semi-final appearances since last reaching the Elite Eight in 2008. In the Musketeers’ Sweet 16 losses to Pitt, Kansas State and now Baylor, the margin of defeat was just five points.
• Holloway’s legacy - After December 10, it didn’t seem like it would end well for Tu. But once the calendar reached March, the senior point guard appeared to be playing with a renewed passion and focus, leading this team through March to another Sweet 16 appearance. Holloway collected big buckets throughout the conference and NCAA Tournaments to reclaim his moniker as one of the most clutch players in college basketball. Tu went on to average a career-best 22 points in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, and should be considered one of the three or four best basketball players to ever play at Xavier. I would not object to his number being raised to the rafters at the Cintas Center.

NEXT UP - A toast to this Xavier team for sticking to it and fighting on, rather than giving in. A toast to Holloway, Frease and Walker for all they have done and for acquitting themselves so well in the blue and white. And finally, a toast to you for cheering on and supporting this Xavier team. Go X.

#retire52

It always ends with a loss.

Thanks, Terrell, Kenny, and Andre for a memorable season.