Muskies establish conference control
XU takes advantage of Dayton injuries in blowout
Doug Tifft
Sports Editor
espn.com
Stanley Burrell turned up the intensity to score 13 points, and played lockdown defense on Brian Roberts of Dayton.
January 21, 1981 was a fairly unassuming day here in Cincinnati.
The campus of Xavier University was mourning a tough loss by a scrappy bunch of Musketeers to their rivals from up the road, the Dayton Flyers led by high scoring guard Roosevelt Chapman.
That is the last time that a squad of Dayton Flyers marched in to Cincinnati and left with a victory.
In the 24th meeting at Xavier since that game the Musketeers showed that there is no sign of that trend changing any time soon, as they dispatched Dayton 69-43.
The Musketeers came into the game knowing that they had to do an excellent job of defending Dayton’s All-American guard Brian Roberts, especially in the absence of the Flyers starting frontcourt tandem of Chris Wright and Charles Little.
The Musketeers came out an executed the game plan to perfection, holding Roberts to five points on only five shots as Roberts battled flu-like symptoms according to head coach Brian Gregory.
Stanley Burrell, who took care of the defensive assignment along with backcourt mate Drew Lavender, explained the success after the game saying “I just wanted to speed him up, and just frustrate him.”
Burrell, the game’s MVP, also attributed his defensive success to the Xavier frontcourt’s ability to hedge the high ball screen and not allow for Roberts to get to the basket.
Even after playing away from the basket against the Dayton guards, the Musketeer big men were able to take advantage of Dayton playing without their top two rebounders in Wright and Little and control the glass, holding a 41-24 rebounding advantage for the contest.
“We are an underappreciated rebounding team.” Coach Sean Miller said “We have a number of guys doing it. Tonight Drew [Lavender] got seven defensive rebounds.”
Burrell also led the Muskies on offense contributing 13 points as a result of a noticeably more aggressive offensive mindset than the he displayed in the past few games.
“I had a long talk with Coach [Miller] the other night, and he told me to be aggressive.”Burrell said. “I’m trying to be more of a complete player, and you can’t really be a complete player when you leave the part of taking shots when they are there out of your game.”
Xavier was also aided by the Flyers poor shooting from the perimeter.
Dayton came in to the game shooting just under 40 percent from three point range for the season, yet started the game 0-9 from downtown and finished 2-18.
Xavier fans may look back on this game at the end of the season and remember it as the game that Dante Jackson emerged as a reliable backup guard.
Jackson contributed six points in 17 minutes of action, along with playing effective defense on the experienced backcourt of Dayton, grabbing four steals.
Miller was delighted by Jackson’s play saying, “We want to be a team that plays nine players. And it was great to see Dante emerge tonight.”
The Muskies now hold a distinct advantage as they move forward in Atlantic 10 conference play, as they stand in first place at 4-1 in the conference.
Xavier survives road test at UMASS
Doug Tifft
Sports Editor
The Xavier men’s basketball team took another giant step forward in their quest to repeat as Atlantic 10 conference champions on Sunday afternoon, as they marched in to Amherst, Mass. and emerged with a 77-65 victory over the UMass Minutemen.
The Musketeers were able to slow down the up-tempo style that UMass likes to play and made it a more physical battle, as evidenced by the teams combining to shoot 62 free throws in the contest.
Drew Lavender turned in a stand out performance, leading the team in points with 19, assists with three and rebounds with nine, despite being the smallest player on the court at 5’7.
Lavender’s play was able to help mask a poor shooting night for the Muskies, as they were just 4-22 from three point range.
A 41-30 rebounding advantage helped to get the Musketeers second looks and keep the Minutemen from getting their fast break geared up.
Xavier was able to shut down UMass’s high scoring duo of Garry Forbes, who scored 16 points, and Ricky Harris, who totaled just seven, in large part because of the continued defensive brilliance of Stanley Burrell.
“You’re never going to be able to shut somebody down completely, but you just really want to make it tough on them,” Burrell said after a game in which his defensive prowess overshadowed a poor shooting night, with just five points.
The Muskies also returned to their preferred offensive balance in the contest, with four players reaching double figures.
Now standing at 5-1 in the conference Xavier resides in first place alone, a half game ahead of St. Joseph’s and Charlotte, as they prepare for a Saturday matchup at home against La Salle.
Where are they Now: Anthony Myles
Tyler Grote
Sports Writer
viewimages.com
Anthony Myles was a valuable part of the 2003-04 team that advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
If you were a Musketeer long before you received your acceptance letter or you are currently an upper-classman, I know exactly what you were doing on March 26, 2004.
You were watching the Muskies defeat Texas to advance to their first-ever Elite Eight appearance against Duke.
Four years ago, Xavier was one of only eight Division I basketball programs still playing.
What a year...remember the guys on that squad?
Sato, Chalmers, Finn, Doellman, Jackson, Myles...what ever happened to these guys?
Well I did a little browsing this week and I found out what life after Xavier for Anthony Myles has been like.
Remember him?
Think back to his most memorable game that Saturday in January of 2004 when Myles scored a career-high 19 points to help the Musketeers defeat a strong Alabama Crimson Tide team that was coming off of a six-game winning streak.
The last time we saw Mr. Myles he was walking off of the court after receiving his fifth and final foul against Duke in the Elite Eight.
He provided the Musketeers with his fourth double-double of the season when he scored 16 points and collected 10 rebounds in a losing effort.
He was rewarded for his tournament efforts by being named to the NCAA All-Region team along with fellow teammates Romain Sato and Lionel Chalmers.
He also led the Musketeers in offensive rebounds that year by averaging three rebounds per game. Well good news for Myles fans, he’s still playing basketball.
That performance came after a year in which Myles averaged 10.6 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds a game.
His 79 percent free throw shooting, and team leading 54 percent filed goal shooting on the season were also a key factors later on as Xavier enjoyed postseason success.
Anthony Myles is currently a member of the Dongguan New Century basketball team that plays in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
The 6’9 forward is still doing his thing across seas as he is the second leading point scorer in the CBA averaging 26.6 points a game.
Unfortunately for Myles and the New Century, they were recently defeated on the 27th by Guangdong, 125-106, in the second round of the CBA playoffs.
Not to worry though, Anthony and the boys will have their shot to tie the series at 1-1 as they get set to play Guangdong again on the Jan. 30. Feel free to visit http://www.asia-basket.com to check up on one of the most memorable Musketeers to suit up in our generation.
Myles was not only a strong presence in the paint for the Musketeers during his career, but an extremely important piece to a legendary puzzle known as “the run.”
A new chapter in the Xavier coaching ‘Book’
Doug Tifft
Sports Editor
Erika Breese
Emanuel “Book” Richardson has been a recruiting specialist in the New York City area for the Musketeers since he joined the staff this season. The ability to draw from the area traces back to his ties as an AAU basketball coach, as well as his days as a high school coach.
Emanuel “Book” Richardson is a first year assistant coach on the Xavier men’s coaching staff under head coach Sean Miller. Richardson is a 1998 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, where he played basketball and recieved a degree in business marketing and management. He began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1999 before moving to New York City to assume coaching positions with various travel, high school and college programs. The Newswire recently sat down with him for an interview.
Newswire: Can you briefly describe what you did right before you came on the staff here?
Emanuel Richardson: I was the director of the New York City Gauchos, an AAU Traveling Team on the NIKE Circuit.
NW: How did it come about that you joined the Xavier staff?
ER: I am pretty good friends with Kenyon Hunter. When he took the job I called to congratulate him. Couple of days later he called to see if I would be interested in coaching college basketball again.
NW: What are you doing for the program now that you are on board?
ER: Assistant Coach. Just regular duties any assistant coach would have I guess. Recruiting, scouting, on the floor, off the floor. Nothing in particular that says ‘Hey, this is what you do.’ Just a little bit of everything.
NW: Xavier has already offered scholarships to three prospects from the class of 2009 (Omari Lawrence, Kevin Parrom and Dan Jennings along with interest in Durand Scott) and one 2010 prospect (Doron Lamb), all of whom are from the New York City area. What kind of effect did you have on Xavier being on their short list of schools?
ER: I think having a relationship with most of those kids, whether it be from coaching them in high school, or coaching them on an AAU travel team helps. The staff that is here already had it in place: Mack, Whitford, and Coach Miller have already seen guys on the circuit. But it just helps that I am here and already have an embedded relationship with them.
NW: What has been the most impressive thing that you have noticed in the transition to coaching the college game?
ER: How professional the staff is. Also how great of a program that it is outside of one of the BCS conferences. Everyone just thinks that since it is the Atlantic 10 it is not the same. But I think that over the course of the last 25 years Xavier has proven itself as being a little bit more than a traditional non-BCS team. With the level of success that the program has had, it can compare and compete against any program in the country.
NW: What are some of your future aspirations in coaching?
ER: Take it a game at a time. Take it a day at a time. Hopefully one day be a college head coach. But as of right now I am just trying to sharpen my sword and hone my skills to make the staff the best that we can possibly be.
Women’s Basketball Enjoys a Successful Week on the Court
Emily Neabauer
Sports Writer
This week was a good one for the Xavier women’s basketball team as the ladies celebrated two victories against A-10 foes.
On January 22, Amber Harris scored her way to the 18th double-double of her career with 22 points and 15 rebounds followed by outstanding freshman Ta’Shia Phillips with 15 points and 13 rebounds of her own.
Harris' 22 came on 58% shooting along with three blocked shots. She made six of her seven attempts from the free throw line as well.
Tuesday marked the 11th time Harris has scored 20 or more points and the 41st time she has scored in double-figures. Junior forward Tudy Reed was impressive, scoring 13, grabbing six rebounds and serving up four assists. Xavier improved to 9-0 when three or more players score in double-figures.
Xavier played sloppily, turning the ball over 23 times in the game but was able to hold Duquesne Dukes to a mere 30%. The Muskies also out-rebounded the Dukes 47 to 37 while scoring 28 points in the paint.
Xavier took an early 17-4 lead before Duquesne’s Kristi Little scored nine consecutive points to cut XU's lead to a mere four points with less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half. A Harris lay-up at 1:13 put Xavier up by nine points just before the half and the Muskies went into the break with a 34-27 lead.
Duquesne began to chip away at the Xavier lead immediately in the second half. Samantha Pollino, Keri Pryor, Sam Thompson and Little all drained 3-pointers in the first seven minutes to get within one point at 44-43. A pair of Little foul shots gave the Dukes their first lead since the 19:01 mark of the first half. Harris connected with a jumper to give the Musketeers a 54-52 lead. The Dukes missed the next eight shots from the field putting XU up for good.
The victory gave Xavier a 13-6 record while Duquesne dropped to 10-9.
On January 26, Xavier took on the U-Mass Minutewomen at the Cintas Center. Amber Harris scored another double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. The UMass defense was able to hold Xavier to only 28.6% shooting.
UMass held the XU’s inside duo of Amber Harris and Ta'Shia Phillips to 12 combined points, but UMass' shooters had trouble finding the mark as well, as the clubs posted matching shooting stats of 14-for-49. The Musketeers held the advantage in rebounds, 41-35.
UMass took an 8-6 lead on a jumper with 13:44 left in the opening half. The Minutewomen defense started strong, holding the Musketeers to 2-for-11 shooting up to that point. After six-straight Xavier points, UMass went on a 9-2 run over 6:23 to take a 17-14 lead with 4:11 left in the first. Maureen Hester scored the final five points of the half to give Xavier the lead, 19-17, at halftime.
Xavier turned it on in the second half. XU scored the next six points and extended that spurt to a 12-2 run over the next 3:40 to take a 31-23 lead with 15:20 to go in regulation. UMass would shrink the lead to only five points at the 12:20 mark but Xavier responded with a 7-0 run, which was finished off by a Taylor jumper with 9 minutes to go, giving the Musketeers a 40-28 lead. They won 51-39
The 14-6 Musketeers will take the court again on January 30 against the St Louis Billikens.
Doug Tifft
Sports Editor
A-10 Shootout on campus this week
Although the phrase “what happens in Atlantic City, stays in Atlantic City” does not have the same ring as the one about Las Vegas, the case can be made that it is the second best gambling city in America.
Xavier students will have a chance to experience this first hand if they win the Atlantic 10 shootout on Jan. 31 in the O’Connor Sports Center. The victors of the event will win a trip to Atlantic City to attend the 2008 Atlantic 10 Championship, where they can compete for the grand prize of $10,000. The event is open to any student with a valid student ID and includes free T-shirts to all participants.
Contestants will compete along with a partner, shooting for 30 seconds from eight designated areas on the court, each with different point values, to attain the highest score. The contest contains three groups: male, female and co-ed. The co-ed teams are the only ones that have the ability to advance to Atlantic City.
Tennis team ends week on a high note
The Xavier men’s tennis team went 1-2 on the week after losses to Ohio St. and Cleveland St. along with a victory over Buffalo. The week started off with a tough test against the Buckeyes, ranked third nationally.
The boys from Columbus lived up to their reputation, clobbering the Muskies 7-0. Xavier’s attempt to rebound was halted three days later in Cleveland, as the Vikings won in a tight 4-3 match.
Ra’ees Ismail led the way for the Musketeers, winning both in singles and in doubles along with Anthony Palmenter. Brian Starr also picked up two wins, a singles victory and one in doubles alongside J.T. Torbeck.
The redemptive victory came a day later for the Musketeers as they polished off Buffalo 5-2. Ismail and Starr were strong again, turning in two victories each in the same fashion as they both had against CSU.
Mike Dieciuc and Brian Schubert also notched singles victories for the Muskie men. Ismail was later named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for the second consecutive week.
goxavier.com
Junior Ra’ees Ismail.
