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Updating the Xavier scholarship chart

We haven’t done this in a while, so let’s sort through the long-term picture for the Muskies.

By Joel D
NCAA BASKETBALL: DEC 03 Dartmouth at Boston College
I wonder if he’s willing to participate in a ride-sharing program for additional income.
Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Let’s kind of put a bow on the recruiting talk from a week or so ago. First of all, yes Evan Boudreaux still exists and is still going to be playing for Xavier next year. We (I) didn’t mention him in that conversation because I was focusing on what was coming in from high school. Anyway, here’s what the scholarship chart looks like for the next three years:

2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021
1 Sr Kaiser Gates F Sr Quentin Goodin G Sr Paul Scruggs G
2 Jr Quentin Goodin G Sr Evan Boudreaux F Sr Elias Harden G
3 Jr Evan Boudreaux F Sr Tyrique Jones C Sr Naji Marshall G/F
4 Jr Tyrique Jones C Jr Paul Scruggs G Jr Keonte Kennedy G
5 So Paul Scruggs G Jr Elias Harden G Jr Dontarius James F
6 So Elias Harden G Jr Naji Marshall G/F Jr Jake Walter C
7 So Naji Marshall G/F So Keonte Kennedy G So Samari Curtis G
8 Fr Keonte Kennedy G So Dontarius James F
9 Fr Dontarius James F So Jake Walter C
10 Fr Jake Walter C Fr Samari Curtis G
11
12
13

There’s no question Xavier is losing a lot after this year, but they’ve got a couple of things going for them going forward. The first is the lot of players coming back. Four players averaging between 7.8 and 8.5 PPG are returning, plus Paul Scruggs, who you’d back to make a significant leap in the offseason.

The second is those three empty scholarships at the bottom of the frame. With three spots free, Xavier has the flexibility to add a grad transfer or possibly pick up a player who needs to sit out before playing... or both. There’s also an outside chance Xavier would add another freshman, though that’s not been Coach Mack’s MO in recruiting.

The six guys coming back give Xavier a little bit of leverage in that they don’t need to add just anyone to be able to field a competitive squad, though the margin for error afforded by another dude or two wouldn’t hurt. You’d have to imagine that X would be an attractive landing spot for someone looking to play right away and make a run in the NCAA tournament.

On the whole, Xavier is solidly positioned going forward, though I’d be surprised to see Xavier not bring in someone eligible right away. The development of the incoming 2018 class and the growth of the 2019 class begun by the commitment of Samari Curtis are going to be pivotal for X going forward.