2023 Returnees

[xavierj]

My guess with Zach is that he doesn’t see eye to eye with the coaching staff and what they want from him. I also guess doctors told him he could play and wait and have surgery after the season and he decided against that. I think Zach’s parents also want him to move on from Xavier. He gave Xavier four years and also see zero chance he returns. He did not travel with the team at all for the tournament which is also telling to me.

[JTG]

I don't know that Free ends up at UK. Cal and Sean are practically lifelong friends. I guess if Sean says take him, he goes. But I can't see Cal swiping Free without Sean's blessing.

[MHettel]

Based on body language, Free seems a little defiant, aloof, and standoffish. Maybe I’m wrong, but some recent narrative sure suggest some challenges in dealing with him.

I wonder if he was basically asked or told yo step away from the team.

He didn’t participate in senior night at all. Lots of possible reasons for that, including the possibility that he was planning to return. But also maybe he just had a sour attitude and decided to skip it, or maybe Miller made that call.

Honestly, free is a good player overall and I’d rather have him around as opposed to finding a quality replacement. But on the other hand we’ve seen guys over the years that had some rumors of behavior issues and they almost always seemed to derail themselves before the natural end of their career (Finn, Lyons, miles Davis).

In the event he DID come back, could you count on him? Big question to me

[MHettel]

I don't know that Free ends up at UK. Cal and Sean are practically lifelong friends. I guess if Sean says take him, he goes. But I can't see Cal swiping Free without Sean's blessing.

Yeah. Cause Coach Cal is known for not putting his own interest above all else. There is no blessing required if Free wants to leave. And neither Sean nor Cal expect it

[GoMuskies]

Cal and Sean are practically lifelong friends.

This is the meanest thing I've ever seen written on this board about Miller. Ouch.

[xudash]

Based on body language, Free seems a little defiant, aloof, and standoffish. Maybe I’m wrong, but some recent narrative sure suggest some challenges in dealing with him.

I wonder if he was basically asked or told yo step away from the team.

He didn’t participate in senior night at all. Lots of possible reasons for that, including the possibility that he was planning to return. But also maybe he just had a sour attitude and decided to skip it, or maybe Miller made that call.

Honestly, free is a good player overall and I’d rather have him around as opposed to finding a quality replacement. But on the other hand we’ve seen guys over the years that had some rumors of behavior issues and they almost always seemed to derail themselves before the natural end of their career (Finn, Lyons, miles Davis).

In the event he DID come back, could you count on him? Big question to me

We are sitting here on a Sunday afternoon, watching a couple of teams attempt to make it to the final four. One of those teams is a conference mate.

Every one of these Creighton kids strike me as being 100% all-in on Creighton.

if Fremantle does not want to be at Xavier, I do not want him at Xavier. The stakes are too high.

[MHettel]

We are sitting here on a Sunday afternoon, watching a couple of teams attempt to make it to the final four. One of those teams is a conference mate.

Every one of these Creighton kids strike me as being 100% all-in on Creighton.

if Fremantle does not want to be at Xavier, I do not want him at Xavier. The stakes are too high.

100%

[Xavier]

MHettel- the king of reading body language.

[MHettel]

MHettel- the king of reading body language.

Also, the king of sensing internet sarcasm

[XUGRAD80]

There’s a lot of anti-Freemantle speculation being posted up here. A year ago I might have joined in. But I thought that this past year he had become the player I thought he was going to be after his freshman year. He was performing at an all-league level for much of the season….remember his triple-double?….and looked to be pretty engaged with his teammates and coaches. As with ALL of the X players, there were times when he didn’t play some aspects of the game as well as we might have liked. But those occasions were rare. I didn’t see him sulking or disinterested in the huddles or dogging it at anytime. I really don’t get the hate that some are espousing in their posts. I’d love to have him back and would be excited to see it.