Nate Johnson will be back at Xavier next season

First, the news:

How's that for some good news!?

Xavier with a healthy Nate Johnson was an entirely different beast this year. Before losing his season to some weirdly unspecified leg injury, he was canning about half his three-point attempts and providing much-needed floor spacing for the Muskies. When his health went downhill, so did Xavier's season. Now he's back to finish what he started.

Johnson was more than a shooter for Xavier, showing the ability to defend at a high level against perimeter threats and even flashing solid finishing off the dribble. Now with Paul Scruggs presumably gone and Kyky Tandy in the transfer portal, Johnson suddenly looks like he'll have every chance to be something akin to the man for Xavier next season.

This also answers a huge question for Xavier's off-season before it even got a chance to be asked. The depth chart looks a ton better with Johnson slotting into a starting role on the perimeter. With Dwon Odom and Colby Jones presumably taking spots in the lineup as sophomores, CJ Wilcher and Adam Kunkel are high-quality depth off the bench and the staff can focus on shoring up the paint through the transfer window.

Xavier couldn't have possibly added a guy with proven performance in the Big East to fill the role of a shooter between now and next season. Now they won't have to.