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Mack fills out coaching staff

2013-06-18T16:37:53Z

Coach Chris Mack has filled the vacancy on his coaching staff with the hiring of former Michigan State assistant Rick Carter. Carter will take the place of Ashley Howard, who has movecd on to Villanova. Carter has also been on staff at Fairfield, Western Michigan, and Missouri. While at Western Michigan Carter was instrumental in the recruiting of Matt Stainbrook.

From the press release:

"I am excited to be adding Rick Carter to our coaching staff," said Xavier head coach Chris Mack. "I have known Rick since his days with Coach Izzo on the Michigan State staff. He is a tireless worker, coaches with great energy and will do a phenomenal job in every area of our program. He’s extremely bright, engaging and will capture the attention of former, current and future players."

Carter, 34, played a key role in several areas during his year at Missouri, including skill development, scouting and recruiting and helped Missouri reach the NCAA Tournament. Carter helped develop the likes of Phil Pressey and Alex Oriakhi, while being a key part of gathering a 2013 recruiting class that was ranked in the 25 nationally.

Carter can be found on Twitter at @rickcarter23. His header and bio already reflect the move and he updates frequently enough to be worth a follow. His golf prognostication skills, however, leave a bit to be desired.

#X-markstheSpot!!!
— Rick Carter (@rickcarter23) June 15, 2013

I have a feeling that my dudes @TigerWoods and @McIlroyRory will be making moves today at US Open #movingday
— Rick Carter (@rickcarter23) June 15, 2013

Know Your Non-conference Opponent: Gardner Webb

2013-06-07T13:00:07Z

Xavier announced its non-conference schedule earlier this week, which is another mile marker on the long road from the end of one season to the beginning of the next. Aside from the major signing periods, nothing particularly interesting is slated to happen in the college basketball summer (last year being an obvious exception to this rule for X). Players work out, coaches fly all over the country to watch high school kids play, rumors fly everywhere. Much later, basketball begins.

The summer isn't a complete desert, though. The savvy basketball fan will use the time to stockpile the information necessary to leap into the season with both feet once things start taking off. Towards that end, we will be spending the hotter months profiling Xavier's non-conference schedule, getting you acclimated to the Muskies' new conference, and keeping you up to date on player news as it develops. To kick off, we have Gardner Webb, Xavier's first non-conference opponent.

Coach/style:
Chris Holtmann was an assistant at Gardner Webb before leaving in 2008 to serve under John Groce at Ohio University. While there, he honed his reputation as a fine defensive tactician as well as being a good recruiter, and he landed the job at Gardner Webb for the 2010-2011 season. After a couple of frankly miserable seasons in which the Bulldogs combined to win 21 games, they matched that total in one shot in the 2013 season. Even considering their less than distinguished schedule, that leap forward is certainly admirable.

Holtmann's teams are noteworthy first and foremost for their pace, which is extremely slow. From the breakneck heights of around 65 possessions per game (mid-200s in the nation) over the previous two years, GW plummeted to a staggeringly slow 62.9 last season. This seemed to pay limited dividends on the offensive end, where their 35.5% OR% was undermined by a TO% of 20.9% and an EFG% of 46.8, both of which put them well below 200th in the country. Defensively, the forced TO at a rate you might expect from a more exciting team (23.4%, good for 25th in the country), but were only mediocre on the defensive glass and in forcing missed shots. That all combined for a defensive efficiency of 98.8, which was 129th nationally.

Departures:
Three of the Runnin' Bulldogs' top four scorers will not be returning this season. Perhaps most painfully, guard Tashan Newsome graduated, taking his 14.1/5.1/2.6 game line on .432/.250/.726 shooting with him. He was not a super-efficient scorer, but a usage rate of 28.6% heading out the door is hard to replace. Even more difficult will be filling in for the 115.6 ORtg that forward Kevin Hartley put up, good for 9.6/6.4/0.9 on .478/.468/.711 with 1.7 steals per game if you prefer those stats. Hartley hit 73 3FG last year, which is an impressive tally, especially so considering how well he kept his percentage up.

Finally, and somewhat confusingly, rising junior guard Max Landis too his decent 7.9/1.4/1.4 game line and abysmal .336/.286/.860 shooting line and left for IPFW, who apparently needed a shameless volume shooter. His ORtg was not bad thanks to his proficiency at the free throw line, but his shot selection was so abusive that his EFG% was a horrible 43.1%.

Returnees:
Rising junior Donta Harper, a 6'6", 180-pound forward, is the Runnin' Bulldogs' leading returning scorer and rebounder, putting up 12.7/4.9/2.1 on .449/.133/.719 shooting last season. He also had the team's highest usage rate, so he's not exactly going to be stepping into a larger role. Rising sophomore Jerome Hill is a 6'5", 210-pound forward. His 6.1/4.7/0.2 line is good, but he is really noteworthy for his 15.2% OReb%, which was 23rd in the nation last year. The dude is relentless on the (offensive) glass.

Five-foot-nine guard Tyler Strange got 30.4 minutes per game last year en route to a respectable 5.6/2.6/4.1 on .365/.287/.724 shooting. He was first on the team in assist rate (27.1%) and second in steal% (3.2%). Other notable returnees include 6' guard Jarvis Davis, who hit 27 of his 29 free throw attempts last year, and 6'6" forward Onzie Branch, who has a cool name.

Incoming players:
Holtmann has restocked the pond with a resourceful mix of players. Perhaps foremost among these is Naji Hibbert, a 6'5" senior guard who sat out last year after transferring in from Texas A&M. A widely heralded recruit out of college, Hibbert struggled to find a stride at A&M. He hit almost 35% of his threes the last year he played, so it's not inconceivable that a player of his talent could be a force for Gardner Webb. Joining Hibbert is immediately-eligible transfer guard Josh Castellanos from Mount St. Mary's. Castellanos put up 4.3/1.2/3.2 on .346/.200/.694 shooting last year, but he did average 8.1 PPG the year before. At worst, he's depth in the backcourt, though it's possible he steps up to be more than that.

On the freshman side of things, the Bulldogs brought in a pair of power forwards. Donnell Tuff is a physical finisher inside with enough strength to be a good area rebounder. At 6'5", though, he's undersized for a true four and not quick enough to guard a three. He averaged 13 and 10 with 7 blocks per game as a junior, though that may say more about his competition than his ability to turn shots around at the D-1 level. Tyrell Nelson is a 6'8", 210-pounder who averaged 21/12/2 as a senior. He had offers from Liberty, NC A&T, Charleston Southern, and other similar schools, but chose to sign with Gardner Webb.

Outlook:
Gardner Webb is the perfect warm-up game for Xavier to ease into the season. They - and I'm being overly frank here - don't have the talent level to beat the Muskies outright, but they do have the experience and acumen to punish X if they don't bring a solid game to the table. For a team that at times struggled to hold onto the basketball, Gardner Webb's turnover defense should be a good early marker for Xavier. The Runnin' Bulldogs aren't an entirely toothless foe, but there is only one reason this game would show up in Xavier's tournament resume. A win will keep that embarrassing eventuality from taking place.

2013: Summer Guide

2013-06-06T13:00:06Z

If you live north of I-70 you can be forgiven for thinking summer is still a long way off. Frost warnings, Facebook updates about snow, and first pitch temperatures in Cleveland of 42 degrees don't really bring to mind beaches and fireworks. [n.b. It is slightly warmer than that as I finish this] Of course, summer is nearly here and it will bring with it the absolute doldrums of the college basketball fans' year. So, to keep your mind off that, here's a few suggestions to help fill the time.

1. Train for something

Boredom and eating tend to go hand in hand (you are an American, right?) so it's important to keep from ballooning up due to a constant diet of hot dogs and 2 am Taco Bell runs that seem like a good idea at the time. To help combat that, the entire Banners staff has taken up running as a good way to relieve the summer boredom. Yes, there's nothing as mentally thrilling as slogging through a good twelve mile run in 85 degree heat. Actually, running is just as boring, but at least you burn a few calories and get to be bored by slightly different scenery. Open to suggestion? The Towpath Marathon is a fun event and, more importantly, is pancake flat.

2. Check in on Xavier

Yes, even the summer occasionally brings news, and not the kind you want to miss. Last summer was a miasma of transfers, expulsions, disqualifications, and assorted other messes. None of it was fun, but people who weren't paying attention probably received quite a shock when Dez Wells was nowhere to be seen during the FDU game. We've not had anything quite that shocking happen this year, but don't miss it if it does.

3. Find something else to follow

All the brain space that went into arguing about why Jeff Robinson was so bad has to be used for something now. Sure, you could start to pay more attention at your job or maybe take some summer classes, but that doesn't really seem all that amusing. Instead, find another team to follow. We'll assume that most of you are Reds fans, but that shouldn't keep you from making intelligent choices elsewhere. Professional cycling holds three grand tours over the summer, Chelsea FC will be touring the states, and Ohio is replete with minor league baseball teams from Lake County all the way south to Dayton. In short, there's no need to panic and start actually working at work.

4. Tweet at us

Yes, it would take a lot of tweets to fill all the free time that college basketball leaves, but Joel and I each have Twitter on our phones and a burning desire to be distracted. @Bannersparkway is our handle, and we absolutely will argue nearly anything (except politics) with you. Rumor, innuendo, insults about the Indians (we outscored the Reds 16-15!), obscure Tupac lyrics, and all manner of conversation starters are accepted. In exchange, we'll use Twitter to keep you up to date on any recruitment news, signings, or coaching staff changes as they happen.

5. Take in some Ohio culture

Are you laughing at that idea? Consider this: Ohio boasts the Cleveland Philharmonic, Great Lakes Science Center, Playhouse Square, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. That's all before you leave the banks of the Cuyahoga. Also available for your leisure time are the Aronoff Center and Fountain Square in Cincinnati, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and National Museum, several restaurants that have been featured on the Travel Channel, the Perry International Peace Memorial, Marblehead Lighthouse, and whatever there is in Toledo.

So that's five ways you can fill the time until basketball comes back around. Still, summer drags by for those of us raised thinking that 84 degrees is hot and that nothing beats an offshore breeze and falling leaves. Hopefully, something on this list piques your interest to plug the holes until basketball rolls back into view.

Non-Conference Schedule Released

2013-06-05T13:00:02Z

Yesterday Xavier released the 2013-14 season non-conference schedule. Featuring prominently are the Crosstown Shootout against ~~Big East power~~ UC on December 14th, as well as an intriguing tilt at Alabama and, of course, the Skip Prosser Classic. Notable on the schedule is the fact that Xavier will play just the one true road game at Alabama. While not quite a Syracusian refusal to leave New York, it is certainly a comment on the power of the program that major non-conference road games need be a part of November and December.

Another large chunk of the non-conference schedule is the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas on Thanksgiving weekend. Evidently, Thanksgiving must be Coach Mack's least favorite holiday because he seems determined not to be home to celebrate it. (Incidentally, this just cements the holiday as our favorite. Trading football, butt fumbles aside, for Xavier basketball is a step up). In the B4A tournament lineup are Kansas, Iowa, Tennessee, USC, Villanova, Wake Forest, and UTEP. Keen observers will note that Tennessee, Villanova, and Wake Forest are already sure Xavier opponents for this season. The thought of meeting Kansas with a massive RPI boost on the line is certainly a nice one.

The entire slate is as follows:

Sat., Nov. 2 vs. Exhibition game TBA
Fri., Nov. 8 vs. Gardner-Webb
Tues., Nov. 12 vs. Tennessee
Fri., Nov. 15 vs. Morehead State
Tues., Nov. 19 vs. Miami (Ohio)
TBD: Battle 4 Atlantis home game
Thur., Nov. 28 vs. Battle 4 Atlantis in The Bahamas
Fri., Nov. 29 vs. Battle 4 Atlantis in The Bahamas
Sat., Nov. 30 vs. Battle 4 Atlantis in The Bahamas
Sat., Dec. 7 vs. Bowling Green
Tues., Dec. 10 vs. Evansville
Sat., Dec. 14 vs. Cincinnati at U.S. Bank Arena
Sat., Dec. 21 at Alabama
Sat., Dec. 28 vs. Wake Forest

Beginning on Friday we will break down every single non-conference opponent.

Memorial Day and Cincinnati's Finest

2013-05-26T17:00:06Z

If you're here for your regularly scheduled dose of Xavier coverage, this isn't going to be it. This is something else entirely, from the heart, or maybe the gut, or from somewhere distinctly inside of me. I anticipate it will wander a bit, but please give it a chance for a friend of mine.

As I have touched on here before, I had what I will term for lack of a better word a "career" in collegiate baseball. I have hinted around that I wasn't very good. That's not false modesty; I really wasn't. I showed up to my school of choice and walked on to the team. By the time I had gotten everything together, cleared the medical, and found my way into practice, the rest of the team had been together for more than two weeks. I was a stranger in their world and overtly not that talented, which combined to not make me an instant part of the team.

My ultimate future would lie on the ~~bench~~ mound, but - like many 18-year-olds away from home for the first time - I was still figuring out what I was. I tried my hand at the middle infield first, but it quickly became clear that my bat speed was not competitive at that level. I was discouraged, to say the least, and contemplated walking back off.

Working as a de facto member of the coaching staff at that time was a Cincinnati native named Jason Ellis. A catcher by trade, he had set a pile of school and conference records before departing via the MLB draft. His minor-league season had closed, and he was working out with the team to stay in shape and rehab a shoulder injury before the next year. He was perhaps the best player to ever come through the program; I was quite near the other end of that spectrum. To say I had nothing to offer him would be putting it mildly.

Despite that, he treated me like I was a real ballplayer. He threw me extra batting practice. He encouraged me when I was splitting my time equally between striking out and making feeble contact. He watched me take some tosses off the mound and told me I had potential there. He was a king on that campus and he treated me, possibly the worst player on the team at that time, as a peer.

Time went on, as it does. I settled in to the squad after a rough first semester. Coach Ellis went back to being paid to play. I ground through four nondescript years of college baseball. His shoulder injury got the best of him, and he retired from professional baseball. We both got married, both fathered sons (two for him, one for me), and he began a career in law enforcement in Bardstown, Ky.

Just before 3am Saturday morning, Coach Ellis was returning home in a cruiser from his overnight shift when he saw what appeared to be a disabled vehicle on an exit ramp. He was off the clock, but he turned on his overhead lights and pulled over to see what he could do to help. Nobody quite knows exactly what happened next, but the evidence on the scene demonstrates that someone shot Coach Ellis several times with a 12-gauge shotgun before fleeing the scene. He died before he even had a chance to unholster his service weapon and defend himself.

You remember fondly the people who have been good to you at times in your life when you could do absolutely nothing for them in return. From what is being reported, Coach Ellis was a good cop, a good husband and a good father. He was active in the community - coaching Little League baseball - and he inspired a level of love that is obvious in his chief's comments in that video. In other words, he was still the same guy that he had been to me way back when I was 18, in over my head, and desperately in need of a boost. It's hard for me to parse that someone set him up and murdered him in cold blood. I wonder when he knew. I wonder if he had time for a last thought about his wife and his boys. I don't know if I hope he did or not.

Memorial Day is about those people who have given everything they had to offer in the defense of our country. Jason Ellis doesn't strictly fit that definition, but he was a friend to me when I desperately needed one, and he deserved better than to go out like that, ambushed on an exit ramp when he had stopped to lend a hand.

I know this hasn't been a light-hearted read. I do hope you enjoy your long weekends, your family traditions, your moments with the people who mean the most to you. But I also hope you find a moment to spare a thought for those who have died in the service of our country, and those that they left behind.

Remy Abell and Aleksandar Vezenkov to Xavier

2013-05-20T18:23:33Z

In the usual off season shake up of rosters, Xavier is coming out pretty well so far. With Myles Davis, Matt Stainbrook and Jalen Reynolds ready to suit up after a year out and Kamall Richards and Brandon Randolph joining as a freshman, the future already looked bright. Edmond Sumner and Melvin Swift have also already committed for 2014.

Now, joining them in 2014 will be Indiana transfer Remy Abell. Abell scored in double figures four times last year, but the last of those came in mid-December. Still, he's a big body guard (6-4, 201) who can definitely help shoulder some of the load that Davis' and Christon's bodies seem to struggle with. Remy's line of 4/2/1 isn't that impressive, but the 48% he knocked down from deep certainly is. Abell won't shoot that over a full season in which he averages more than last year's 12.5 minutes per game, but his ability to shoot isn't a mirage.

Joining the Musketeers this year is 6-9, 200 pound Bulgarian/Cypriot swingman Aleksandar Vezenkov. This year, for Aris BC of the Greek league, Vezenkov played 14 minutes per contest and put up a 4/2.6/1 line very similar to Abell's. Of course, Vezenkov is only 17 and was playing against fully grown men when he did that. Vezenkov looks like he fits the unfortunate stereotype of a slightly apathetic, willowy, European gunner who can be a bit lax on both ends, but there is more to him than that. Unwilling, or maybe unable, to do a whole lot off the bounce thanks to a limited right hand (Vezenkov is a lefty), Aleksandar can shoot from deep with aplomb. Defensively, he doesn't shy away from contact and is quite willing to put his body on someone.

In short, Coach Mack has once again added two very useful pieces. Abell is a versatile guard who can play some defense and shoot it from deep. Vezenkov (aside from being the first Cyprus born player to suit up for X) is a rangy gunner who somewhat defies the stereotype by being a willing and able defender. After the disaster of last summer, this one is off to a good start.

Xavier Grabs Verbal Commitment From 2014 Guard Edmond Sumner

2013-05-13T01:20:27Z

Sumner is something of a late growing guard who currently stands around 6'4" and weighs in at about 155 after gaining 20 pounds over the course of the last year or so. The rail-thin righty can play both guard positions and protects the ball well off the bounce for someone so slight. He is capable of attacking off the bounce with either hand and can finish at the rim or drop it off with aplomb.

He also shows good range on his jump shot, demonstrating himself to be a threat a couple of steps beyond the line with a slightly low but fairly quick release. Adding weight to his frame is going to be Sumner's number one challenge as he heads through his senior year and on into college. He picked up early offers from schools like Kent State, Toledo, and UMass, but really started getting attention from the big boys as he got taller. Sumner obviously caught Xavier's eye, but Illinois, Michigan, and Michigan State were all actively pursuing the Beverly Hills, MI native. If he continues to develop and dodges all the usual hurdles between a verbal commitment and coming into the team, he has every chance of being a star for the Muskies in the Big East.

Xavier May Sign Immediately Eligible Transfer or Recent Decommitment

2013-05-08T22:03:49Z

Word from well-placed sources on the Xavier campus indicates that an immediately eligible transfer or a member of the class of 2013 with a recent decommitment from another school is interested in flirting with the affections of the Musketeer faithful before likely choosing another school. Xavier fans with something linking their twitter handle to the school's basketball program are encouraged to follow him on Twitter. Open, direct lobbying for his commitment to Xavier is, of course, an NCAA violation, though massive discounts on jewelry apparently are not.

YouTube highlight compilations have been popping up on Xavier message boards, and they reflect well on the player's ability to leverage his skill set into on-court production. While some naysayers are focused on eligibility issues, the player's ability to step up against better competition, and questions regarding his desire to "do things the right/Xavier way," others believe he will be the perfect addition to the Musketeer roster. A third small but very vocal group is already determined to use whatever outcome as a sign that Coach Mack is not the man for the job at Xavier.

The player - who is pledging to "take it slow" to make up for rather ambiguous "things [he] missed during the first recruiting process" - also has visits scheduled to a couple of schools so prominent that Xavier fans are taken aback that the Muskies are competing with them, as well as one school who is so discouragingly nondescript that it causes a certain concern regarding whether Xavier even wants a player who would also consider that school.

The player's decision is expected to be postponed at the last minute several times before being anticlimactically revealed by Alex Kline of The Recruit Scoop. Xavier fans will then likely transfer swiftly to arguing online about another player before resorting to unnecessary personal attacks on one another.

I hate the summer.