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Judging by the amount of attention our retweets of his tweets got, people on Twitter liked Jon Rothstein's information about the look of the Xavier program when he stopped by. I'll cut right to that, then hit you with some of my thoughts.
Greetings from the Cintas Center! Here for Xavier practice. Musketeers look like a Big East sleeper in 14-15. pic.twitter.com/qtzzkcUA9H
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 30, 2014
Chris Mack said Xavier's Jalen Reynolds is at least 10 pounds heavier since the end of last season. Now 230 plus. Breakout year ahead.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 30, 2014
Xavier should have the best PF/C combo in the Big East with Jalen Reynolds/Matt Stainbrook. Both will be all-league caliber players.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 30, 2014
A hard thing for Xavier next season? Setting a rotation. Musketeers have 11 capable players. Finding the right mix is going to take time.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 30, 2014
Early prediction on Xavier starting five --- Dee Davis, Remy Abell, Trevon Blueitt, Jalen Reynolds, Matt Stainbrook....
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 30, 2014
For a freshman perimeter player, Trevon Blueitt is as physically imposing as I've seen. Going to play some PF when Xavier goes small. 6-6.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 30, 2014
Very curious to see what Edmond Sumner looks like in 2 years. 6-4 SG oozes potential. The unsung presence in Xavier's 2014 recruiting class.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 30, 2014
Would put Xavier in the next tier of BE teams behind Villanova. Musketeers in mix at top of league with Georgetown + St. John's. #SJUBB
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 30, 2014
Palpable buzz at Xavier surrounding freshman PG Larry Austin Jr. 6-2 and mature beyond his years. Could be a "table setting" floor general.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 30, 2014
That's a lot of information, but it addresses some key concerns people might have. I'll just put a couple of thoughts in bullet points and then see what develops in the comments and on Twitter:
- Good to hear that Jalen is looking good. He has incredible skills, and if his body is up for a long and physical season, he'll be a one-man wrecking crew.
- I think the rotation will be an issue, too. When you're adding seven guys to six returnees, there are almost no set roles.
- It's interesting that he said X has 11 capable players. Who are the two he's leaving out?
- I have concerns about how thin Sumner is; apparently Rothstein does too.
- I think Larry Austin, Jr can be Dee Davis 2.0 by the time he's done at X. A great late signing by the staff.
It's great to see information coming out as the summer basketball season begins to get moving. What did you think of what Rothstein saw at Xavier? What questions do you still have about this year's team?