Get Wells soon

After being expelled from Xavier University this past summer amid sexual assault charges, Dez Wells has been cleared by the NCAA to play immediately for the Maryland Terrapins.  The charges, brought upon Wells by the Xavier University Conduct Board, were thrown out by the Ohio grand jury upon review.  The grand jury strongly suggested Xavier revisit Wells' fate, calling its investigation procedure "severely flawed," but the university stood by its decision.

Following the expulsion, Wells transferred to the University of Maryland, filing with the NCAA for a waiver that would dismiss him from sitting out a season, a general requirement for most transfers. His first request for the waiver was denied, but the NCAA Division I Legislative Council Subcommittee for Legislative Relief overturned the decision on Nov. 8.

It is difficult to believe that the NCAA so willingly overturned their own decision, especially amidst the murky situation Wells left in Cincinnati. But, perhaps the NCAA Subcommittee saw the same thing the Ohio grand jury did; maybe this was enough to provide for the unusual circumstances. There is no way to know exactly what went down in allowing Wells to suit up for the Terps this season, but it is clear that some type of justification, be it pity or the right thing to do, went through the minds of the subcommittee.

Previews in the paint: Xavier Musketeers

After a season filled with ups (#8 national ranking at one point) and downs (the brawl to end them all in the Crosstown Shootout), the Musketeers are entering what many might call a "rebuilding year," basically a euphemism for "Just don't embarrass us, please."

Coach Mack loses Tu Holloway and Kenny Frease to graduation, Mark Lyons to Arizona, and Dezmine Wells to sexual assault charges. That's 77.5 percent of Xavier's scoring, 69.1 percent of its rebounding, 85.0 percent of its assists, 76.6 percent of its made field goals, and 69.4 percent of the team's total minutes played.

How does a program recover from such a purging?

Coach Mack says that the squad will have to move away from relying on the few and focus more on the unit.

Transfer Isaiah Philmore and freshman Semaj Christon will bring fresh talent to the Musketeers' squad, but three veterans still remain in Cincinnati. Guard Brad Redford (3.3 ppg, 11.4 mpg), forward Jeff Robinson (3.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg), and forward Travis Taylor (4.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg) will have to build the team's core. Redmond is considered one of the best pure shooters in the country, but the former Mr. Basketball in Michigan only played seven scoreless minutes in Xavier's three NCAA tournament games last season.

Taylor showed great play during non-conference matchups last year, but was largely irrelevant in the A-10 season (6.8 ppg and 6 rebounds against non-conference teams, a tough schedule for Xavier, but only 4.2 and 2.9 in the A-10).

Xavier's extreme loss of talent makes Philmore's arrival the brightest spot of the 2012-2013 campaign.  Transferring from Townson University in Maryland, he lead the Tigers in scoring with 15.3 ppg and was second in rebounding (7.0 rpg) as a sophomore.  Standing at six feet, eight inches, Philmore will earn minutes quickly because of his ability to create mismatches.

Semaj Christian is a local player who many feel should step in and run the point, but Mack seems determined that sophomore Dee Davis will control Xavier's backcourt.

Given the rebuilding job ahead, the always tough non-conference schedule (Butler, a non-conference game schedule before the move to the A-10, Cincinnati, Purdue, Wake Forest, and Tennessee, among others this season) is not going to play in the Musketeers' favor.

This is the first season in some time that Xavier fans will not have a star to entrust with the game: no Tu Holloway, no Jordan Crawford, not Derrick Brown, etc. The Atlantic-10 is stronger than ever, and it is likely Xavier will find a home in the middle of the pack. 

Despite all the challenges ahead, it's important to remember that Xavier has found a way into the NCAA Tournament 11 time in the past 12 years.

An Open Letter to Coach Chris Mack

Dear Coach Mack,

            For some time now in Cincinnati, basketball has reigned as king of the collegiate landscape, especially due to the absence of an NBA team. The University of Cincinnati Bearcats and your very own Xavier University Musketeers have brought a sense of pride, an annual hardwood success that blares through the speakers of the WLW airways, that dawns billboards along I-275. Xavier is only one of five schools that have made the Associated Press “Top 25” Poll in each of the last four seasons, while racking up five straight Atlantic 10 Conference Championships in the process. Coach Mack, you have led a team that has made it to the Sweet Sixteen each of the past four seasons. From a statistical standpoint, the Queen City can look upon the navy and white and be proud. From a moral view, however, I’m afraid the Muskies are not a Cincy gem.

            The “Xavier way” is the core value of Xavier University, the Jesuit belief in a good, moral compass driving the student body to higher standards than an average school. For years, especially under the Bob Huggins regime, UC was known to recruit great players with bad morals. Graduation rates were horrendous, but points on the scoreboard were to be had. Arrests were made, but as long as a double-double was achieved, Huggins and his squad of scoundrels were allowed to continue in their questionable recruiting and academic fashions. Xavier, however, with the “Xavier way” as its compass, was always held at a higher standard. And even with its demand for character alongside athletic talent, the university was still successful in basketball, producing talents such as Byron Larkin and David West.

            Coach Mack, this image has been tainted. The Bearcats are no longer the bad boys in town. No, in an effort to get quick results without concern for character, you have recruited against the very core values of Xavier University. Talent over morals may keep you afloat for awhile, but eventually the tide of corruption will rise. For you and the Xavier Musketeers, 2011-2012 brought that rise.

            Let’s start with Kenny Frease, the 2011 senior center who averaged 10.2 points per game paired with 6.1 rebound per game. Frease never brought a positive demeanor to the court, often allowing his lack of effort to result in missed opportunities in the paint. In October 2011, Frease was suspended indefinitely by you because he “did not fulfill all the responsibilities of a Xavier basketball player.” You think?

            Frease would rejoin the team, as it was evident to you that his 7-foot mass of a body was of more use in the paint than on the bench. Frease would be sure to make another trip to the suspension list again, however, along with a few other of his teammates as their true colors were displayed in the December 2011 brawl at the annual Crosstown Shootout, the rivalry game played between Cincinnati and Xavier every winter. Tu Holloway, the cocky yet efficient point guard, was jawing at the Bearcat bench with 9.4 seconds remaining in the game, a not-so-classy move when up by 23 points. As shown to the nation over and over on ESPN, this erupted into a brawl. Started by Cincinnati? Nope, the initial shove came from Dez Wells, Xavier’s freshman guard. Punches were thrown, Frease knocked to the ground with a messed up face, while four Musketeers ended up with suspensions for their involvement in the fight.

            Remorse for their actions?

            “I was just saying that it’s my city right here,” Holloway said in the post game press conference. “I’m cut from a different cloth. None of those guys on that team are like me.”

            Oh wait, it gets better.

            “We’re grown men over here. We’ve got a whole bunch of gangsters in the locker room, not thugs but tough guys on the court. We went out there and zipped them up at the end of the game. That’s our motto. Zip ‘em up. And that’s what we just did to them.”

            And the kicker: it all started because the Xavier players felt they had been disrespected by Cincinnati players via Twitter.

             Coach Mack, this is your Xavier Musketeer squad. You have redefined the national image of the school. People in Cincinnati used to wear t-shirts that read “The Xavier Way.” Now, shirts are sold that say “Zip ‘Em Up.”

            After the game, in regards to Holloway’s and fellow teammate Mark Lyons’ comments, you said, “I think at times they probably don’t represent themselves with the use of words real well, but I’m not necessarily going to sit up here and tell you that I feel like Tu and Mark are bad kids.”

            Of course you won’t tell us that, Coach; you recruited them.

            Finally, I am sad to point out the latest example of the new Xavier image. Dez Wells was expelled from school last week for seriously violating the Xavier’s student code of conduct. On Tuesday, a grand jury rejected criminal charges against Wells, with allegations of sexual assault brought before them. Even without the criminal charges, Xavier is sticking by its decision to expel Wells, the Musketeers’ 2011-2012 fourth leading scorer and best returning offensive threat. Basically, the school is showing they are tired of the behavior of your players, as the conduct board consisting of faculty, students, and administrators made the decision.

            Coach Mack, the Xavier name has been tarnished. You’re recruits have become the gangsters they believe they are. Mark Lyons has transferred to Arizona, and Griffin McKinzie to the University of Denver.

In closing, I want to leave you with a suggestion. Take a page out of former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy’s book. Literally, his book. Uncommon. It talks of Dungy’s search for a player to draft; in the Colts’ analysis of potential candidates, they actually had a warning column that could be filled out as “do not draft because of character.”

            Coach Mack, for the sake of the fans, the city, the school, and all those that believe in the Musketeers, it’s time to get back to the Xavier way.