Xavier announced today that freshman forward Kamall Richards will be leaving the program to pursue his basketball career elsewhere. He came into the season as a slashing forward with a developing jumper and college-ready body, but he never really got his legs underneath himself as a Musketeer. With the emergence of James Farr and the relative solidity of Justin Martin, his opportunities were limited.
Richards played in seven games for the Musketeers this season, averaging 3.3 minutes, 0.7 points and 0.6 rebounds per game. He missed a large portion of the season due to injury, so he will have his NCAA-mandated redshirt year to get fully healthy before re-entering the fray. Obviously, we wish him all the best. A cursory look at the current composition of the roster and the players coming in reveals that this is likely Kamall's best shot at a fulfilling collegiate career.
This also opens the question of the scholarship crunch on Xavier's roster. With Richards's departure, the Muskies have 9 returning guys and 5 incoming players to somehow fit into 13 scholarship slots. What is clear is that something will have to give; what is far murkier is exactly what. Richards represents the first of two openings that will need to come to fruition for the roster to finalize.