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A Golden Musketeer Season
5/6/2008
 | A happy group of Musketeers celebrate back-to-back Atlantic 10 championships.
[enlarge] Photo by Bob Stevens |
What's your favorite memory of Xavier's best-ever season of 2007-08? Was it Byron Larkin's “Do it, B.J, Do it,” as B.J. Raymond launched the three-point shot that sealed a, 79-75, victory over West Virginia to send the Muskies to the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament? Or was it Derrick Brown tipping in the miss of Drew Lavender's driving layup to nip the Billikens at St. Louis? Or, C.J. Anderson's slashing and cashing in against Indiana?
Or was it Josh Duncan's scoring and rebounding heroics or Stanley Burrell's lock-down defense and clutch scoring and free throws, or Drew Lavender's leadership, driving, “tear drops” or his pass to B.J. whose three in the closing seconds beat St. Joe's in Cintas?
Or Jason Love's rebounds and baby hooks, or Dante Jackson's poker-faced three against Georgia that broke a 49-49 tie with seven minutes left that gave Xavier a 52-49 lead it would never lose in that first NCAA tournament game?
Sean Miller's maneuvers ? Or Stanley's “Stay with us coach,” as he held Sean's face in his hands during the comeback against Georgia?
Every one of the thousands of fans and opponents alike will have his or her memories of Xavier's 30-7 season. But for me, one night in a darkened hospital room and an image on a TV screen will stay with me for the rest of my days.
The night nurse came into my semi-darkened room and snapped the harsh overhead light on.
“Time for your evening meds and your shots,” she said, grinning as the light woke me out of a fitful sleep. “Why is that TV on? You haven't been watching it. Want me to turn it off?”
“No,” I said. “It's almost time for Sports Center and I want to see the basketball scores.”
I'd been in the hospital two or three weeks, trying to recover from Chemo's effects and a fall I'd taken. I'd be in the hospital and a nursing home until Jan. 3 and then at home learning to walk without aid and regaining the use of my right arm.
But that November night, I wasn't really clear of mind. My son had visited me earlier that day, and I remember asking him what was Xavier's record. When he told me 4-1 and the Muskies had lost by two at Miami after blowing a good-sized lead, I asked him, “Who's Xavier's coach?”
I was mildly surprised when he told me, “Sean Miller,” and gave me a look that questioned my sanity. Hey, I figured after the Miami game, Mr. Neutral and his Moping Merry Men had called for Sean's head.
I don't remember much of that Nov. 24, but after the nurse had watched me swallow my horse-sized pills and stabbed me a couple of times with the needles, I changed the channel to ESPN just in time to see the Top 10 highlights of the evening come on.
In the next few minutes I got the best medicine an ailing Xavier alumnus and lifetime Muskies basketball fan ever had. I forget which of the top 10 it was but there was Derrick Brown, leaping over a shocked Indiana Hoosier and soaring majestically above the rim in the Chicago United Center. Derrick threw down a monster dunk in the stunned face of another Hoosier and the announcer said Xavier had defeated, no mangled, the eighth-ranked Hoosiers, 80-65.
I would leave the hospital Dec. 6th after watching the Muskies top Creighton, 79-66, for their sixth straight victory and a record of 8-1. For some reason, besides getting home from the nursing home for Christmas, I had suddenly developed an insatiable hunger for watching Xavier basketball. It was a hunger that would last through the Elite 8 loss to UCLA. A hunger that will leave me famished until next November.
From that November 2007 night in the hospital through the next five months, I along with thousands of Xavier Nation natives lived and vicariously cheered a winning streak of 11 games and bemoaned four more losses along with a 25-5 regular-season record -- also tops in school history.
Oh, there were some fabulous victories, the best I viewed via TV since I watched Hank Stein hit a bunch of free throws with a determined snarl in his eyes to beat Dayton in overtime in the NIT some 50 years earlier.
Which of the victories was the best? The 64-59 win over Cincinnati because any win over UC is a big one. The three victories over Dayton, two in regular season and one in the tournament making it six straight times XU has humbled the Flyers? Maybe.
How about the humbling of Kansas State, Virginia and at Auburn by a combined total of 87 points? Or maybe it was the 11 A-10 victories in a row, six of them on the road, and each triumph was memorable, especially the ones away.
But the overview of the entire season is best chronicled in the heroics of each of the Musketeers, achievements which made losses to Miami, Arizona State, Tennessee, Temple and St. Joseph's (twice) a little less painful.
Start with Sean Miller, head of the brain trust, recruiter extraordinary, disciplinarian and father figure, whose guidance engineered a season that won him A-10 coach of the year honors and his team its second consecutive regular season conference title. He was a USBWA candidate for national coach of the year, and at seasons end, one of the most sought-after coaches in the country, turning down the offers to stay at Xavier.
The 2007-08 season starts with the senior class and what a trio they were.
 | Intense defense became the trademark of Stanley Burrell’s senior season.
[enlarge] Photo by Bob Stevens |
Stanley Burrell — You could run out of breath reading aloud his honors: Stanley is the first recipient of the Skip Prosser Award, named in honor of the late former Xavier coach and Wake Forest coach. The award is presented annually to the player who exemplifies the qualities Skip admired, great toughness, an untiring work ethic, a burning competitive spirit and he never backed down from a challenge.
Stan was also, A-10 defensive player of the year, member of the National All-Defensive team selected by collegeinsider.com, captain of the 9th annual “All Glue” team chosen by Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated and CBS. A-10 third team and finished his career 12th on the Xavier scoring list with 1,612 points.
But Burrell was also “Stanley the Stopper,” putting the defensive clamps on and holding under their averages Indiana's Eric Gordon, Tennessee's Chris Lofton, Virginia's Sean Singleterry, Dayton's Brian Roberts (three times), Umass' Ricky Harris, St. Louis' Tommie Liddell III, Rhode Island's Jimmy Barron (0 field goals, 2 points), Georgia's Sundiata Gaines, Purdue's Robbie Hummel.
And who will forget Burrell finding B.J. wide open and hitting him with an inbounds pass with two seconds showing on the shot clock and the “Do it B.J.” three pointer that sealed the win over West Virginia or the 16 points , steal and a free throw to seal the win over St. Joe's in Cintas that will have Stanley looking in the audience at graduation to see if Hawks coach Phil Martelli is on hand to be sure he receives his degree and never plays St. Joe's again.
 | Senior Josh Duncan muscles in a rebound at Cintas Center as he plays his last home game.
[enlarge] Photo by Bob Stevens |
Josh Duncan — The A-10 Sixth Man of the Year, winner of the Lew Hirt Society Coaches award given annually to the player the coaching staff feels stood out in a significant way during the season, finished 26th on the XU scoring list with 1,210 points, led Xavier in scoring 12.4 ppg average was a member of the NCAA West Regional All-Tournament team, A-10 second team honoree and the Portsmouth NBA hopefuls All-tournament team.
His 25 points on 7-of-7 shooting helped beat Charlotte and his 23 points on 8-of-8 shooting stopped Rhode Island (both games on the road), 20 points against Georgia in the NCAA, and his 26 points against West Virginia were but a few of his highlights. But Josh's biggest contribution of all came after he was replaced in the starting lineup by Jason Love. A lesser and selfish player would have pouted and hurt his team.
Instead, Josh became the best sixth man in the whole darned A-10 conference and made key contributions to every Xavier victory the rest of the way. He was also a more than 80 percent shooter from the free throw line and his three-point shots caused many an opponent headaches.
 | Drew Lavender flips in one of his trademark shots.
[enlarge] Photo by Bob Stevens |
Drew Lavender – An A-10 second team star, the Columbus native who transferred to Xavier after two years at Oklahoma, recorded a string of highlights despite suffering an ankle injury in the Charlotte game that left him hobbled but determined. He ended the season with a career total of 1,428 points scored at Oklahoma and at XU.
For starters, he was co-MVP with C.J. of the Chicago tournament and earned NABC all-district honors. Count a 28 point, 10 assist performance against Creighton, the driving layup he missed against St. Louis that B.J. tipped in to win the game, his four free throws that sealed the win at Dayton, but when he passed up a wide-open three point shot to hit B.J. for a three pointer that gave Xavier a 74-72 lead with seconds left in that St. Joe's game and led to a 76-72 victory and his seven assists and only one turnover in the NCAA victory over West Virginia will long be remembered.
The dynamic Joltin' Junior Jays, the duo of B.J. (Raymond) and C.J. (Anderson) performed outstanding feats during the season and in the tournament.
B.J. Raymond – Pick a highlight of any one of Xavier's 30 victories, and you're likely to find B.J. hitting a critical shot, or canning free throw or drilling a three. He won the Gordon E. Nead award which is given annually to Xavier's most improved player.
What was B.J.'s numero uno? Was it the three that capped a 13-4 run that broke Kent State's will? Nope. How about the 19 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Indiana? Or the career high 22 points against Richmond? What about the 21 points against St. Bonaventure or the 20 against Fordham?
Nope, there were two memorable B.J. moments—His turn-around jumper and foul shot conversion, three-pointer the hard way against Purdue which gave Xavier a 63-61 lead the Muskies would never lose in the victory over the Boilermakers that sent X to the Sweet 16.
And of course, scoring all his eight points in the overtime against West Virginia, the last six on two threes, the final one which engendered a radio call by Byron Larkin that will be retold again and again years from now whenever Musketeer fans gather over a smooth Scotch, a cold brew or a gentle lemonade, “Do it, B.J., Do It.”
C.J. Anderson – The Forest Park High School product transferred to Xavier from Manhattan two years ago and Musketeers' fans are very happy he did. In addition to sharing co-MVP honors in the Chicago Tournament with Drew Lavender, Anderson also shared the Connie Brown award for the team's most inspirational player with Jason Love. He also has scored 1,249 points entering his senior year. But that only tells a small portion of C.J.'s 2007-08 story.
On 13 separate occasions, Anderson turned the Xavier box score into his own personal highlight sheet. He scorched George Washington twice with 31 points and 7 rebounds there and 15 points here. He racked up 19 points and 8 rebounds against Indiana, 20 points against Coppin State, 14 points and 4 boards against Kansas State, 12 pts and 6 reb against Virginia, 16 and 7 against LaSalle, a career high 21 points against St. Bonaventure, 13-7 against Umass, 13 and 10 against Duquesne, and in the NCAA, 18 and 7 against Purdue and 12 and 10 against West Virginia. And, wait for it, the best thing about C.J.? Heeeees back for another year.
 | Derrick Brown goes in for one of his high flying slams.
[enlarge] Photo by Bob Stevens |
Derrick Brown –What could the talented red-shirt sophomore, who won the Ernest A. Staak award which goes to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of unselfish dedication and love of the game of basketball evident in the life of the father of former X coach and AD Bob Staak, do for Xavier? Darn near anything asked of him. Defend a wing man? He'd do it. Rack up enough ESPN Top 10 highlights to feed the ego of any Xavier fan and at the same time help engrave his school's basketball team on the national recognition map? Sure, no problema.
Start with his leap over that Hoosier and subsequent monster jam against Indiana, move on to 13 points and 10 rebounds and an occasional flush against Kansas State, 11 and 7 against Auburn on the road, 12 and 9 at St. Louis and the winning tip, 11-4 at Charlotte, 13-11 against Duquesne, 11-9 in the A-10 tourney against Dayton, 19-11 against Georgia in the NCAA and, sadly, 13-6 in a losing effort against UCLA in the Elite 8.
But pick a game, any game and you could more than likely recall Stanley Burrell or Drew Lavender racing hell-bent-for-leather down the court, especially at Cintas, and when a defender rushed toward either, they'd flip the ball up softly just high enough for a flying D. Brown to grab with one or two hands and KABOOM, an Alley Oop slam that rattled the rim and boards and caused an eruption in the stands . And yes, he's back too.
Jason Love – The giant sophomore who shared the Connie Brown award with C.J., had his memorable moments. How about 10 points and a career high 9 rebounds against Delaware State? Or eight boads in the win over St. Joseph's? or 8 and 9 against Rhode Island? Yeah, and 12 and 10, new career highs against GW here. And 10-9 in the loss to St. Joe's in the tourney. Or 4 points and 10 boards against West Virginia in the NCAA?
Those were great but it was Jason Love who stepped into the starting role mid-season in Josh Duncan's place and then relinquished the start to Josh in the NCAA tournament and never said a mumbling word. He just gave it everything he had.
Adrion Graves –This sophomore from Hughes Center, who really had no freshman year thanks to illness, popped in seven points and grabbed three rebounds in a very short time against Belmont and then scored five against Delaware State. He'll have a better season in 08-09 because it will be like a sophomore year when players traditionally make their greatest improvement.
Dante Jackson – His six points and two rebounds in that first victory over Dayton might not seem like much of a highlight, but freshman Dante Jackson made his mark in a way that didn't show up in the box scores. When Drew Lavender suffered his ankle injury in the Charlotte game, Dante stepped up. Although he had seldom played point guard, he stepped in to play both the two (shooting guard) and one (point guard) to complement Stanley Burrell's efforts at both positions and to give the senior leader some rest. In the process he learned to become a better than average defender, like Burrell, subordinating his offense to his defense.
Ah, but there will be one offensive highlight that will be on the lips of Xavier fans whenever his name is mentioned. They'll say, “Do you remember Dante, wearing his best poker face and showing absolutely no emotion drilling that three that put Xavier in the lead in the big come-from-behind against 'Em Georgia Dogs? Did that kid have ice water in his veins or what?”
Charles Bronson - He was a junior college transfer who would have been a senior this coming season had he not transferred to a DII school for more playing time. The 6-10 young man with the unforgettable name who was called “Death Wish” after the late movie star whose name he shared, recorded eight points in seven minutes against Belmont and 11 points in nine minutes against Virginia.
Steven Duckett and Joe Hughes –These two walk-ons saw precious little playing time except at the end of blow outs, but they made a valuable contribution to Xavier's success by pushing the starters in practice each and every day.
 | Coach Sean Miller cuts down the net after his team secured the 2007-08 A-10 Championship.
[enlarge]Photo by Bob Stevens
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There were as many individual highlights during the 2007-08 season as there were players on the team. Somehow, a different player or players, one time seven, would step up, throw down double figures or double-doubles every night.
Xavier was a team that had six players average in double figures.
Xavier was a team that ran off an 11-game win streak.
Xavier was a team that won a school record 25 regular season games, that smashed Kansas State, Virginia and Auburn and knocked off No. 8 ranked Indiana.
Xavier was a team that won an all-time school high 30 games. Xavier was a team that won its second consecutive regular-season A-10 Conference crown.
But most of all, Xavier was a T*E*A*M!
Bob Queenan (WKRQ59) is a Xavier graduate who was the Muskies football and basketball beat writer during a long career at the now defunct Cincinnati Post.
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