:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/44116966/478776449.0.jpg)
Chris Mack said on a Wooden Legacy conf call that Makinde London is most likely going to take a developmental redshirt this year. #Xavier
— Shannon Russell (@slrussell) November 13, 2014
If this comes as a surprise, it's not a particularly huge one. London played guard his entire life and even entered high school at that position, but then a nine-inch growth spurt that took him to his current 6'10" height changed his prospects. He is still learning the nuances of playing as a bigger man, and the fact that he only weighs 210 pounds was no doubt a factor in this decision. He may never be a big body like Sean O'Mara, but adding muscle is going to be a must for him to survive the rigors of a Big East season.
Despite all that, I tend to think that this decision was less about Makinde London than it was the other four big men on the roster. You can always pull a redshirt off of a guy if injury or eligibility problems hit, but that's not an ideal scenario.
My feeling is that Coach Mack took his time to make sure that he was comfortable going into the season with Stainbrook, Reynolds, Farr, and O'Mara as his guys at the four and five. Once we got to the eve of the first game with no problems, the decision to redshirt London was likely not a difficult one.