Xavier Basketball: Musketeers have reloaded through the transfer market

The Xavier Musketeers have already filled some holes for next season through the grad transfer market. What do these additions bring to the team and who else is on Xavier’s radar?

Xavier added some much-needed veteran talent to their rotation by grabbing Kyle Castlin and Zach Hankins. Both grad transfers will be in the mix for starting roles but will play consistent minutes regardless.

Castlin is a 6’4’’ wing from Columbia University who averaged 10.5 ppg and shot 35% from three. He can put the ball on the floor and has also shown an ability to attack closeouts. While Castlin will not be a star for Xavier, he should be a solid role player.

It would not be surprising to see him play a similar role to Malcolm Bernard’s from two seasons ago. If he embraces a glue guy and 3-and-D persona, he could be a nice fit in a smaller starting lineup. There are significant minutes up for grabs after losing Trevon Bluiett and JP Macura, so Castlin will have a chance to make an immediate impact.

The second grad transfer addition is the more intriguing one. Zach Hankins is a 6’11’’ center who was the DII player of the year at Ferris State. He led Ferris State to the DII title and averaged 15.1 ppg, 9.7 rpg, and 3.3 bpg.

Hankins will split the center position with Tyrique Jones and will definitely see major minutes even if he does not receive the nominal starting spot. He is an extremely skilled post player who can score with his back to the basket, can hit mid-range jump shots, and can protect the rim. Hankins is also a willing passer and has great vision out of the post.

Xavier desperately needed an offensive post presence since Kerem Kanter exhausted his eligibility and Hankins fills that void perfectly. He provides a nice contrast to Jones who is more of a physical rebounder and is much less skilled.

However, Xavier is not done with the transfer market. The Musketeers have been linked to numerous transfers who they could still add to their roster. After analyzing Xavier’s roster, it looks like they should be done with grad transfers and shift their focus to sit out transfers.

There are four sit out transfers who have been linked with Xavier: PF Matthew Moyer, PF Ryan Welage, PG Prentiss Nixon, and PG Dru Smith. The Musketeers have two open scholarships so they could add one of the guards and one of the bigs to bolster their 2019-2020 roster.

Matthew Moyer is the highest profile name. The former top 75 recruit struggled during his brief time at Syracuse and should have two seasons of eligibility remaining. He is an energy big man who does not look to score, but can make an impact on the glass. He averaged 3.2 ppg and 3.4 rpg in just over 15 mpg for the Orange.

Moyer is from Ohio which gives Xavier a geographic advantage, but his list of schools indicates stiff competition for his commitment. Kansas State, Vanderbilt, Florida, and Texas are in the mix which is a surprise. I think he would be better suited playing down a level as he could easily be over-recruited at any of these schools, including Xavier.

Nevertheless, he could be a nice reserve piece for the Musketeers.

The other sit one play two transfer who Xavier is pursuing is Dru Smith from Evansville. Smith averaged 13.7ppg and 4.6apg while shooting 48% from three for the Purple Aces. He also has an extremely competitive list of schools which includes Virginia Tech, Purdue, Missouri, and Nebraska.

Smith would be a great addition, but could be scared off by Xavier’s backcourt depth. Quentin Goodin will be a senior and Paul Scruggs will be a junior when Smith is eligible. That is significantly more talent then the other four schools project to have. Xavier would absolutely love to add Smith, but are fighting an uphill battle.

Lastly, Xavier has been mentioned with a pair of sit one play one transfers, Ryan Welage and Prentiss Nixon. Welage is a stretch four who had a breakout season for San Jose State. He averaged 18.1ppg and 5.4rpg while shooting 43% from three. Nixon is a 6’1’’ scoring guard who averaged 16.1ppg.

Welage’s list contains Xavier, Belmont, Baylor, UNC Greensboro, and Loyola Chicago while Nixon has been contacted by Iowa State as well as Xavier. Nixon’s recruitment is still in the earliest stages so there is not enough information to make a prediction. On the other hand, Welage would be a great fit at Xavier as a replacement to Kaiser Gates, but all five of his schools could really use him.

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Xavier has multiple quality options to bolster their future roster. I could see Xavier grabbing any one of these four players, but they would likely take only one of the guards and only one of the bigs. It also seems unlikely that they would take both Welage and Nixon since they only have one year of eligibility remaining. I predict that Xavier lands Moyer. I think Nixon is also realistic, but more information is needed before making a prediction.