Xavier in on talented transfer Carlton Bragg

It’s not reinforcements for this year, but this is certainly a big deal. Carlton Bragg has cut his list to five and with respect to the other institutions on that list, Xavier is clearly the cream of the crop.

Bragg went to high school in the Cleveland neighborhood of Collinwood. Coming out he was recruited by UK and Arizona, but landed at Kansas. In two years there, he didn’t find the playing time that he was looking for, averaging nine minutes as a freshman and 13 as a sophomore this year.

In that limited time this year, though, he was incredibly productive. His line of 5.2/4.1/0.5 came on 56% from the floor and 67% from the line. More importantly, Bragg had a 107 offensive efficiency rating to go with monstrous rebounding numbers, 14.9% rate on the offensive end, 18.1% on the defensive end. Bragg also tossed up a 4.0% block rate to go along with that. All of this sounds very, very good.

What doesn’t is this. Carlton Bragg has had some off the court problems. First, he was accused of domestic battery back in November and was suspended until surveillance footage showed that, while he had shoved his girlfriend, he did so to keep her from choking him. Bragg was the suspended again for a violation of team rules, and has since been charged with misdemeanor drug paraphernalia possession.

It’s a mixed bag with Bragg. A change of scenery might do him some good, and he’s undeniably talented, but he’s bringing a lot of baggage with him. Whether Coach Mack thinks he can change the current course of Bragg’s career may play a large role in the young man’s decision.