Stanley Burrell and Andy Mac to highlight 2016 Xavier HOF class

For the generation of Xavier fans around my age there are myriad moments that well and truly stand out. One of them is, of course, Lenny Brown knocking off #1 UC with a floater in the lane shortly after Sports Illustrated had name the Bearcats their favorite that year. Another that leaps immediately to mind is the West Virginia win in the NCAA tournament where a bemused Bob Huggins once again watched an underdog Xavier team celebrate not far from his bench. This year, two of the names involved in those moments will be getting their due and entering Xavier’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Stanley Burrell began his career as a scoring guard who wasn’t afraid of any shot, in any game situation. By the time the West Virginia game rolled around in Stanley’s senior season, he was taking fewer shots than at any other point in his career. In that career Burrell averaged 12.2/2.6/2.9 on a .401/.378/.798 shooting line. It was Stan’s ability to remake himself as an elite defender, though, that earned him his HOF spot and carried his final team to the Elite Eight. According to Xavier’s press release “Burrell earned a long list of honors his senior year, including 2008 Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year, a member of the Sports Illustrated ‘All-Glue’ Team and a spot on the National All-Defensive Team for both rivals.com and collegeinsider.com. “

Andy MacWilliams never took a tip for Xavier and indeed didn’t even graduate from the school, but that hasn’t kept him from becoming one of the most beloved figures in the history of the basketball program. While he was excellent calling games on tv and radio from 1983-1998, it’s his iconic “number one in the country, number two in their own city” call of the 1996 Crosstown Shootout that has lived on forever in Xavier lore.

Andy stays active with the team today, even though he is no longer calling games. He shares pregame duties with Brad Redford and writes a regular column for Musketeer Madness during the season.

The new class in the HOF will be inducted on January 6th and honored during the January 7th home game against St. John’s.