Musketeers Review

[xusandy]

None of the several NBA draft projections I've seen have Blueitt going in the first round, and many of them don't even have him as a second rounder. No doubt his stock has risen with his performance in the dance, but his earning power as a pro seems much more likely to be overseas than in the US. That said, I have no idea what he'll do. Last year he went to the NBA try-out camp and came back to X when he got feedback that he wouldn't be drafted; this year I expect him to give it another go at the camp, then decide. FWIW, I'd put the odds at about 2-1 that he decides to go; I think he can finish his degree this summer.

I expect Ed Sumner to come back, period. He's got the game, but he needs to rehab and build some strength into that frail body of his before he would be of interest to any US pro team.

The incoming class looks to me like it could be the best ever for X. Paul Scruggs is the only top 30 recruit we've ever signed (Blueitt was ranked in the top 40 by most services when he came out.) Naji Marshall and Elias Harden are both four star wing players who got a ton of offers from good programs (replacement candidates for Blueitt?)

Brady Ernst is an interesting case. He was Steve Prohm's first signed recruit at Iowa State, but had knee surgery after high school, then played in just 6 games at ISU (limited minutes, nothing special) before he shut it down and took a medical redshirt year. Then he decided to transfer to a JUCO program in order to get more playing time and continue to develop. He averaged about 10 points and 7 rebounds a game this past season before getting injured yet again -- a foot injury this time. He reportedly has good interior skills, and at 6'10" and 230 lbs. could be a real asset IF he can stay healthy.

I know nothing about Ridder or Jones. X has a long history of taking big men who aren't heavily recruited and turning them into something special (David West, Brian Grant, Jalen Reynolds, and James Farr all come to mind), and at 6'11" and 290 lbs., Jones is an intriguing project. I expect him to be redshirted next year while the staff works on his game and getting him into shape.

So I expect the 2017-18 starting lineup to be:
PG - Quentin Goodin
SG - Ed Sumner
SG/Wing - JP Macura
"Stretch Four" - Kaiser Gates
C - Sean O'Mara or Tyrique Jones - give 'em 20 minutes a game apiece.

If Blueitt comes back, we should be a top 10 team in the pre-season rankings; if not, we'll still probably be in the top 20 pre-season. Bottom Line, I expect X to be at least as good next year as we were this year, since neither of our 2 departing payers (Gaston and Bernard) was a real star. Well, Bernard came on like gangbusters in the post-season, but I don't see his loss as critical, given the class we have coming in.

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

Published 30 minutes ago:

Xavier returns its core from unexpected trip to Elite Eight - Associated Press - March 27, 2017

Xavier (24-14) will return the core of a team that went farther than expected in the tournament after pulling out of its deepest slump in 35 years. The Musketeers will again be one of the favorites in the Big East, which got seven of its 10 teams into the NCAA Tournament.

Mack did some of his best coaching in his eighth season leading Xavier. The Musketeers lost three key players within a few weeks at midseason, forcing Mack to reinvent his team repeatedly. Xavier lost six games in a row - its longest slump in 35 years - but Mack pulled it together by tournament time.

Mack's name gets raised in questions about job openings at bigger schools, but he's happy coaching in his hometown, at his alma mater, in one of the top basketball conferences in the country - so long as they want to keep him.

''I don't think there's any coach in the NBA, in college, in high school, that can say, 'Hey, I'm here forever,''' Mack said. ''But when you have what we have at Xavier, it's special. And I don't take that for granted.''

He'll have plenty to work with next season.

The article excerpted above is well worth a read. Congratulations to Xavier on hiring and retaining an excellent basketball coach.

[xu2002]

Per Sumners twitter account, he is declaring for the draft.

https://twitter.com/EdmondSumner?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

[OmahaGuy]

Wow. That's a big hit. Don't know if declaring for the draft is a smart move when you have a bad ACL. Anyways, best of luck to him.

[CrawfishBucket]

I expect Ed Sumner to come back, period. He's got the game, but he needs to rehab and build some strength into that frail body of his before he would be of interest to any US pro team.

Ouch

Jon Rothstein‏
Verified account
 @JonRothstein

Xavier's Edmond Sumner will sign with an agent and enter the 2017 NBA Draft, per his twitter page.

[JohnW22]

Not going to lie, really expected him to be back next season. This sucks

[DudeAnon]

Tough spot for Ed. If he comes back he likely doesn't play until mid-January and he may never get back in sync with the team, which would hurt his stock. I guess he is counting on some team taking him in the second round and rehabbing him in the d-league next year. Then work his way onto an NBA roster.

[Jet915]

Tough loss but Goodin in addition to Scruggs should soften the blow.

[ProvidenceNJ]

Sumner just went full retard declaring for draft and hiring an agent. In addition to rehabbing his knee he will need surgery on his labrum in his shoulder. No way he gets drafted.

[Jet915]

Sumner just went full retard declaring for draft and hiring an agent. In addition to rehabbing his knee he will need surgery on his labrum in his shoulder. No way he gets drafted.

I can see a team using a late second on him and dumping him in the D-league once he's healthy but who knows....