Ben Stanley makes it official

Xavier's basketball scholarship endowment came through again as Ben Stanley made it official today. More importantly, Xavier said they will seek a waiver for Stanley immediately eligible for the (possibly) upcoming season. This has long been suspected, but the school made it official in their statement.

Per the school, head coach Travis Steele said, "We are really excited to announce the addition of Ben Stanley to our Xavier Family. Ben is going to add a lot of experience and production to our team. Ben was one of the most improved players in the entire country during the 2019-20 season. He played sparingly as a redshirt freshman during the 2018-19 season, and then made First Team All-Big South this past season. That improvement is a testament to Ben’s work ethic and drive. Ben has that BIG EAST toughness to him and is extremely versatile.”

That versatility figures to have an impact on a Xavier team that transitions from the era of the Core Four into a new team led by KyKy Tandy and Paul Scruggs. Zach Freemantle will anchor the post, but it's a group in flux around him. Ben Stanley adds to the flux, but as a solution to multiple problems.