Musketeer Madness

It is too early to be right but let's speculate.

Starting Five at each position

next five at each position

Why?

Who will be the go to guy?

Beginning of the year starters:
PG - Holloway (more heralded of the 2 newcomers at this position)
SG - BJ Raymond (because Anderson will start at the 3 and we need firepower from the perimeter that BJ provides better than anyone else)
SF - CJ Anderson (Senior leadership; started there this past year)
PF - D Brown (Started there this past year)
C - Jason Love (See above - Brown)

First off bench at each position to start the year:
PG - Lyons (Good press clippings on point play; tough choice with Holloway his main competition)
SG - Dante Jackson (more experience at this position than Redford who some have suggested might red shirt)
SF - Adrion Graves (Good rebounder for his height; more experience at this position than Walsh or Taylor)
PF - Jamel McLean (will probably see as much time as CJ and Derrick)
C - Kenny Frease (may not be a sub for long; may even see some early-season minutes with Love and Brown up front against some OOC Big Six competition)

What a wonderful problem to have: "too much" depth!

Here is what I envision for next year:

PG: Holloway. I like Lyons ability to score, but Holloway seems to be the more natural PG, and there will be plenty of scoring from other spots.

SG: Dante Jackson. Dante proved he could score last year, and he will be our best defender as well.

SF: CJ Anderson. Obvious pick, I expect him to be our leading scorer next year.

PF: D Brown. Another obvious pick, I expect big things out of him as well. Needs to be a little more of a consistent scorer, and continue to be a force on the boards.

C: Jason Love. Should continue to be a solid inside presence for X, and should up his scoring with Duncan gone.

Off the bench:

Once again Xavier should be a deep team if some of the newcomers play as I expect them to, especially inside where we will really need them.

Guards:

BJ Raymond. I still like him coming off the bench, even though he may be our most pure scorer. Last eyar BJ had the benefit of coming in fresh and getting open looks against defenses that were a little tired, and I expect more of the same this year. If Dante happens to struggle, BJ moves in to the staring lineup.

Adrion Graves: Still not sure what to expect out of him. Seems to need a lot of time to get in the flow of a game, and that is a luxury he cannot afford next year. Needs to prove he can score against better competition, and play better on the ball defense.

Mark Lyons: Could be a great weapon off the bench. Was able to put up big numbers against some good competition in HS, and could be a hybrid PG/SG off the bench next year.

Brian Walsh: I do not know much about him, but the coaches really seem to like him, and with his height he may be needed to help play defense against teams that have bigger guard tandems.

Brad Redford: Pure shooter who may get an early shot at PT if the rest of the team struggles from the outside. However, with another guard (Holloway) in this class Xavier has the luxury of using a red shirt on one guard, and it could be Redford.

Big Men:

Kenny Frease: The prize of this recruiting class, I would be very surprised if he was not getting major minutes from day one. A skilled big man that plays pyhsically as well, Frease should bring an inside presence that Xavier has not had in a long time.

Jamel McClean: Should be a welcome addition to X after transferring from Tulsa. Gives Xavier one more rebounder and physical defender to helkp compete with the bigger teams we will play. Not sure if he will be much of a scorer, but if things go as planned he should not have to score much.


Main strengths:

Balanced scoring, again, should be a key to this Xavier team, and the depth will once again help wear teams down.

I do not expect the defense to be quite as good as last year, but it should not be far behind. There is a lot of athleticism on the perimeter, and some good muscle inside.

Main weaknesses:

Point guard remains a question as most likely they there will be a true frosh running the point. I am glad we have Holloway to give us one more option, but to think there will not be a fall off here is unrealistic.

Back up PF could be a problem as well. D Brown is as good as it gets in the A10, but I am not sure who fills his spot when he has to come out.

Hopefully, Frease will be givien the opportunity to start by mid season. We will need scoring and Love is a serviceable offense option at best.

I think Sean will be running so many combinations in November and December it will look like a fire drill.

But what a luxury having quality depth at every slot.

One or two more great recruiting classes and we will finally catch up to, and maybe pass, UD's program.

You think?

I know what you are saying Wise but is it that easy to dismantel the program just to catch the nosediving ud.

Like David West, Frease starts game one. Jason Love is very limited offensively just look at the UCLA game. Not sure about Holloday and Lyons. Can't imagine the coach turning the point guard over to untested freshman. Most likely starting 5: Dante @ point, BJ @ 2, CJ @ 3, Brown @ 4 and Frease in the middle. Love backs up Frease, the guy from Tulsa backs up Brown. Holloway, Lyons, and Redford back up BJ and Dante, Walsh and the other transfer back up CJ.