This past season was somewhat satisfactory for Xavier though the events that followed certainly felt lousy in comparison. The Musketeers snuck their way into the NCAA Tournament and won a game in the First Four before ending that run in the round of 64, a decent ending albeit a little less than what the players and fans had hoped for. Unfortunately, the departure of head coach Sean Miller certainly added insult to that ending.
Miller left the program for the second time, this time heading down to Texas to take over the Longhorns. For the first time in decades, Xavier made a head coaching move from an outsider, nabbing Richard Pitino as the program’s new leader. Pitino had previously worked in the Big East long ago on his father’s staff at Louisville and was head coach at Minnesota for nearly a decade before his recent success at New Mexico.
Much like the Musketeers gave Miller a second chance when they hired him in 2022, Pitino is getting his second lick at power conference basketball. His time with the Golden Gophers wasn’t bad by any means, he just didn’t get the consistent results necessary with that program, albeit a difficult task in the Big Ten. Now he and his new staff refocus their efforts and have already been plenty busy in recent months.
A ten-pack of incoming transfers has certainly put the Musketeers in a much better position especially after losing nearly the entire roster. Perhaps the most notable addition for Xavier is former Evansville forward Gabriel Pozzato from Italy who put up some pretty nice numbers in the MVC this past season. In addition to a few players from New Mexico, Pitino also nabbed some intriguing talent to fill other roster holes.
All Wright put up great shooting numbers as a freshman at Valparaiso while Tre Carroll fills a frontcourt slot after impressive showings down at Florida Atlantic. Xavier added size in Pape N’Diaye, a 7-footer from UNLV, while further filling the backcourt with former North Dakota point guard Mier Panoam and Malik Moore from Montana.
We’re not giving a deep dive on the new names in town for the Musketeers but Pitino and crew have done decent work, especially considering the timing. Pitino wasn’t named Xavier head coach until late March but his new staff has found some pretty solid players, even if none of them were exactly household names to a Big East fan last season.
What’s important for Pitino is showing that he can succeed at this level after that disappointment at Minnesota. This Xavier program has the support and recent pedigree, they just need Pitino and his next crews of players to keep that momentum going. We’re not sure what the future holds for Xavier but Pitino seems ready for this challenge.