Xavier basketball

[XU 87]

I know this thread has nothing to do with global warming, the state of the republic, or NCAA football, but I thought I would try to start a discussion about Xavier basketball. Below is a link to an article which actually discusses XU hoops. The question I have: Who will start at point guard? I thought Larry Austin appears to be a steady but not overly talented or athletic player. Sumner appears to have more upside. Anyone have any insight?

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/xavi...ct-5/72274004/

[X-man]

I'm guessing that Myles Davis and Remy Abell will start the season, with one pretending to be a PG. But I expect that Sumner will get minutes and is likely to be good enough to start at PG relatively soon into the season. LA will be back-up.

[XU 87]

I think that's a fair assessment. We may see non point guards (Myles and Remy) playing some minutes at point guard, particularly early in the season. I think Myles played some point guard last year when necessary.

[casualfan]

I'm really curious to see how Mack handles that PG spot.

Any time a young guy gets the reins there will be growing pains. With that in mind do you throw Sumner to the wolves day one and let him get those out of the way right away?

Or do you play a guy like Myles out of position and try to ease Sumner into that spot?

I think there are benefits and drawbacks to both options.

[XUFan09]

I don't think Remy is really a good enough ball-handler to play the point. It will probably be Myles, *maybe* LAJ to start the season. It could continue to be those two if the staff wants to utilize Sumner's playmaking ability off the ball more.

[Kahns Krazy]

Some proper mood setting for an actual basketball discussion.

[ChicagoX]

Sumner seems to have the highest ceiling between he and Larry Austin. That said, Austin actually has some in-game experience. Hopefully one of them steps up by the time conference play starts so we can have a true point guard and allow Myles and Remy to play their natural positions.

Is their any expectation that Kaiser Gates will contribute at forward this year? I also forgot about Makinde London, who redshirted last year. I'm really hoping the Sean O'Mara continues his development from last year and can provide good minutes for when Reynolds gets into foul trouble, which seems to be somewhat inevitable.

[XUFan09]

I bet one of Kaiser Gates and Makinde London contribute this year as the fourth big. There probably isn't room for both of them to get regular minutes. Either one of them could probably swing to the three, but this team has a lot of guards and wings, so I don't know how feasible that is.

[X-Fan]

I think many are underestimating how much Coach Mack likes what Austin brings to the table. If there's one thing that Mack has shown during his tenure is wanting to have a PG who controls the offense, sets the table, and makes smart decisions. To me Larry is most suited to do that right away this year. Larry showed flashes of that last year, and was very capable in spurts. I could see Larry being spelled by Myles, Sumner, and Remy. Now, if Sumner comes out playing like a vet PG with his offensive capabilities, then I think he takes the job (with Myles playing more SG). It's going to be fun watching those playing time competitions unfold.

With all that said, I want the ball in Myles hands as often as possible, so I could see Mack going with a mix of Myles and Larry at PG. Do we know if Mack or Myles have any long term plans to devleop Myles into a PG? I would think his best chance of making the NBA would be as a PG, I'm just not sure if he has the ball handling skills (or if those can be developed).

[BandAid]

Without seeing anybody firsthand (let alone anybody play firsthand in an actual game) I will always pick the player who has been:

A. In the program longest
B. Had the most actual playing time.

Therefore, I expect Larry Austin (playing time) and London (in the program longest) to get the early season nod over Sumner and Gates.


I also expect at least a half season before redshirts show us what they can really bring to the table. When you add in that London and Sumner are freshman redshirts it adds to my belief that Austin and O'Mara are going to play a larger role earlier even though Sumner, London, and even Gates may ultimately get more minutes.


Even last year I was expecting Bluiett to be behind Justin Martin to begin the year (and then Martin transferred...)


On a personal level this sets my expectations. Because I know the basement of what Austin and O'Mara bring to the table (unless they pull a Jeff Robinson) and anything added by the newcomers is a welcomed surprise.