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Thanks to everyone who participated in our Banners on the Parkway postseason player report cards. We'll be breaking down each player's grades for the rest of this week and on into next week, where we'll reveal the top finisher according to the community. We'll also be assigning and explaining our own grades of each player. We'll start with the player who got the lowest community ranking and work our way up to the MVP.
| RaShid Gaston | Votes | % of votes |
|---|---|---|
| A | 6 | 1.20% |
| B | 100 | 20.40% |
| C | 308 | 62.70% |
| D | 68 | 13.80% |
| F | 9 | 1.80% |
| Community GPA: 2.05 |
Everyone on the team received F grades from at least a few people, because this is the internet. It was RaShid Gaston who took home the most though, with nine. Shid also pulled in six A votes, but most of his tally came solidly in the low end of the middle. Last season it was Makinde London coming last with a 1.68 GPA. That this season’s lowest finisher was nearly a half point higher and averaged 18 minutes a game shows a lot about the healing power of an Elite Eight run.
Offense: B
Rashid came as advertised offensively. Before we even get into his scoring numbers, consider for a moment that he was 14th in the nation in offensive rebounding rate. His 15.7% rate was higher than even the astronomical numbers James Farr put up last season. Where Gaston took a beating from fans was his ability to put the ball in the basket. There’s no question that Gaston’s output wasn’t as consistent as it could have been, but when he had the ball in his hands, he produced. Shid’s 113.2 offensive efficiency rating was second on the team behind Sean O’Mara and good for 383rd in the nation. Gaston shot 59% from the floor and 66% at the rim. Gaston may have never truly taken over a game offensively, but he spent a long time being very good.
Defense: B
On defense, Rashid was almost as much a monster on the glass as he was offensively. His rate of 22.5% led the team by a wide margin and was nearly good enough to crack the top 100 in the nation. Rashid was also second on the team in block rate, trailing only Tyrique Jones and posting a very respectable 3.2%. While Gaston was generally quite solid in man to man situations, it was his lack of lateral quickness in the zone that saw him lose some time down the stretch.
Overall: B
I have to vehemently disagree with the nearly 500 voters this year. Gaston’s effort on the season was actually one of quiet near excellence, not an un-noteworthy mediocrity. For long stretches, especially early in the year, Rashid was Xavier’s only post presence of note. For that, he earns a more than passing grade.