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One of the things that separates Xavier from other programs is the tie to history. While Duke, UK, UNC, and countless others trace their success back to one and dones, the Musketeers annals are filled with players who came and stayed. Recently, Dante Jackson and Stanley Burrell have been the vanguard of that. Heart on their sleeve guards who left everything on the floor, both were well deserved fan favorites.
While Stan is now remodeling homes, Dante has come back. This morning, Travis Steele announced that the man waving the flag in the above has rejoined the program. Per the media release today: “I love the passion that Dante has for basketball in general and Xavier basketball in particular,” said Steele. “I had a chance to work with Dante for three years when he was a player (2008-11) and two years when he was a graduate assistant (2012-14). He was a part of a lot of winning basketball at Xavier and he has gained some valuable experience at multiple stops.”
Dante went to two Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight as a player for Xavier, and another appearance as a graduate assistant. Dante has worked with Travis Steele’s brother John Groce at Ohio, and had further stints at NKU, Air Force, and Robert Morris. Dante had signed with Kent State for the upcoming season before agreeing to rejoin the Musketeers.