Today was the first day of practice for the Xavier Musketeers, but rather than talk surrounding Tu Holloway, the top 25, and Final Four chances, the news was not good. Kenny Frease, a key piece to the puzzle, was suspended indefinitely effective immediately.
Earlier this summer, we identified Frease as the indicator for success last year, his 12.8 ppg and 7.7 rpg in wins were far and away the best numbers of his career. A focused and assertive Big Kenny makes an almost inestimable difference in the continuing success of the Musketeers. Unfortunately, it appears Xavier will moving forward without him for at least the time being. According to Coach Chris Mack "Kenny has not handled his daily responsibilities on and off the playing floor that we expect from every one of our players here at Xavier,” Mack said. “Until Kenny proves to me that he wants to be a part of our team by handling those responsibilities, he will not be a part of our program. I am hopeful that Kenny will work his way back to being a part of this team at some point."
At this point, the causes of Kenny's suspension aren't clear. Word out of the Xavier camp is simply that the expectations are high and Frease has not met them. Whether it be conditioning, grades, or something else, one can only hope that Frease gets his head back on straight in time to help his team by November 11th.