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  1. #11
    Supporting Member GIMMFD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GoMuskies View Post
    Yes, at least one in the NCAA Tournament before that "S" word is thrown around too broadly. But the vital signs are certainly positive.
    Exactly this, it's kind of a problem in college athletics, fans aren't patient enough, and coaches get fired before a system, etc. can get implemented. Very happy with the way the program looks right now for the future, Steele hired a stand out recruiting staff, and we get Dante back! Coaching wise, I was also happy with his growth towards the end of the year, seemed like he was figuring things out more, and the guys bought in more. Steele has the resources, and the personality to be successful here, and I'm hoping that it all comes into fruition. It's exciting to think about, but not "set it stone," so to speak.

  2. #12
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    A slight dig here........when are X fans going to stop comparing our program to UC's? So frustrating to me...........if we want to take the next step, we have to set our sights on the TOP programs in the country.[/QUOTE]
    This bugs me also. But my guess is the bulk of the folks here are either from Cincy or are current residents. Personally, being from out of state, I could care less. But then no one is gonna be giving me a hard time if we lose the Shootout. The only reason I care at all is because I want X to win every game. It seems very " little brotherish" to constantly be saying, "Yeah, but we're better than UC" Worry about being better than Villanova !!

  3. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by scoscox View Post
    I agree life is good and i'm as excited for the future as anyone, but I'm not sure we can declare Travis a complete success just yet. Let's play a few games first.
    Steele and staff are already elite recruiters and no reason to think that will change anytime soon, so he will have the talent to succeed going forward. I think most of us here think he can implement an effective system and potentially be a fine X and O guy but here’s the thing. He won’t be seriously tested until 2020-21. Coach did a nice job of getting us through Mack’s lost 2015 class but Mack’s 2018 looks to be worse. If Marshall/Scruggs forgo as expected (along with the inevitable injury/transfer), he will do well to keep us competitive in his 3rd year. Yes, it looks like he hit a home run with this class and next years as well but can you seriously challenge in the BEast with frosh/sophs/transfers? Let’s hope that along with serious recruiting chops, Coach can excel in player development as well.
    President of the Eddie Johnson Fan Club

  4. #14
    Supporting Member XUGRAD80's Avatar
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    Xavier has always been known for developing players. The difference is that now they are developing players that are coming into school as highly regarded recruits and not as (many times in the past) unknowns. It would appear that the ceiling is higher now.

    The question would now appear to be......can 3-4 Star players compete successfully with top 25 players, once they have been given a year or two to develop?

    Remember, it’s not just how well the PLAYERS develop, it’s also how well they learn to play together as a TEAM. We have all seen schools where they just seem to roll out the ball and let the players play, with little or no real organization it seems, just individual talent on display. Kentucky comes to mind. I believe that in order for Steele to be as successful as he might be, he needs to take the players in the 75-150 range that he is getting as recruits, help them to develop their individual talents, and then teach them how to play within his system. I also believe that he, and the rest of the coaches, are going to do just that and are going to be successful.

  5. #15
    Supporting Member bleedXblue's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by XUGRAD80 View Post
    Xavier has always been known for developing players. The difference is that now they are developing players that are coming into school as highly regarded recruits and not as (many times in the past) unknowns. It would appear that the ceiling is higher now.

    The question would now appear to be......can 3-4 Star players compete successfully with top 25 players, once they have been given a year or two to develop?

    Remember, it’s not just how well the PLAYERS develop, it’s also how well they learn to play together as a TEAM. We have all seen schools where they just seem to roll out the ball and let the players play, with little or no real organization it seems, just individual talent on display. Kentucky comes to mind. I believe that in order for Steele to be as successful as he might be, he needs to take the players in the 75-150 range that he is getting as recruits, help them to develop their individual talents, and then teach them how to play within his system. I also believe that he, and the rest of the coaches, are going to do just that and are going to be successful.
    If Xavier is ever going to compete for National titles, we need better players. Simple as that. Development and team work only take you so far. I think we have pretty much almost maximized that over the last 20 years. X has to break through and start getting top 50 guys at some point on a consistent basis.

    Im not saying that we cant win Big East titles and make nice tourney runs.......very doable with where we are now.......

  6. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by bleedXblue View Post
    If Xavier is ever going to compete for National titles, we need better players. Simple as that. Development and team work only take you so far. I think we have pretty much almost maximized that over the last 20 years. X has to break through and start getting top 50 guys at some point on a consistent basis.

    Im not saying that we cant win Big East titles and make nice tourney runs.......very doable with where we are now.......
    So true, better talent = more wins against better schools. Recruiting is the qxygen to a winning program. Steele in a perfect world would LOVE 3-4 top 10 talent that goes to Duke, UNC, Kentucky, MSU, and Kansas. Even Gonzaga gets better talent and then rolls through their easier conference and gets a top 4 seed every year.

  7. #17
    Supporting Member fellahmuskie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by xukeith View Post
    So true, better talent = more wins against better schools. Recruiting is the qxygen to a winning program. Steele in a perfect world would LOVE 3-4 top 10 talent that goes to Duke, UNC, Kentucky, MSU, and Kansas. Even Gonzaga gets better talent and then rolls through their easier conference and gets a top 4 seed every year.
    I think the Nova approach is pretty ideal. Couple top 20-30 guys, then a bunch of 50-100.

    We already get the 50-100 guys, the key is picking up 1-2 top 50 every single year.

  8. #18
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    Odom is a top 50 talent. Paul and Naji were top 50 kids. Also fit has a lot to do with it. You look at Quinnerly at Nova, he was a 5 star top 25 player. It never worked out, was it fit or was he overrated?

    Our 2019 class was a foundational class to inject talent into the program. 2020 is plugging needs and upgrading the roster. I think 2021 will have more limited spots, and will be swing for the fences.
    Last edited by xufan02; 08-14-2019 at 09:35 AM.
    “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” -Michael Jordan

  9. #19
    Supporting Member bleedXblue's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by xufan02 View Post
    Odom is a top 50 talent. Paul and Naji were top 50 kids. Also fit has a lot to do with it. You look at Quinnerly at Nova, he was a 5 star top 25 player. It never worked out, was it fit or was he overrated?

    Our 2019 class was a foundational class to inject talent into the program. 2020 is plugging needs and upgrading the roster. I think 2021 will have more limited spots, and will be swing for the fences.
    Yeah but the point is that the top programs are getting 3-4 top 50 guys every year. I like the Nova reference.......I think that is doable, but expecting more from what we have been doing the last 10-15 years is not going to be a game changer. I think Steele can step up and improve the recruiting.......I have faith

  10. #20
    NCAA D1 Basketball is an unusual sport in this regard, making the Final Four is celebrated almost as much as winning the dang thing. It certainly generates as much fan excitement as getting to the championship game and losing. Look what making ONE F4 did for Hugg’s reputation. Obviously teams make the final weekend, on a regular basis, with less talent than what X has most years. Usually with several 4 year guys or 1 surprise superstar or a combination of both. This perfectly describes what The Men of Steele will roll out in the fall.

    We got this!
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