Busting Brackets
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Xavier Basketball: 5 questions facing the Musketeers this offseason

By Lukas Harkins

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 09: Naji Marshall #13 of the Xavier Musketeers reacts in the first half against the Providence Friars during semifinals of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 9, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 09: Naji Marshall #13 of the Xavier Musketeers reacts in the first half against the Providence Friars during semifinals of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 9, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 18: Macura, O’Mara, and Kanter of Xavier. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 18: Macura, O’Mara, and Kanter of Xavier. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

How can the Musketeers make up for five huge departures?

Easily the biggest challenge facing the new head coach is making up for the major departures from the 2017-18 team. First and foremost, star forward Trevon Bluiett is graduating and taking the next step in his career. Bluiett had been the go-to scorer for the Musketeers over the past several seasons and it was no surprise to see him land an All-America team this past year. The program will definitely have a hard time replacing his leadership and nearly 20 points per game.

Almost equally as important, wing J.P. Macura is also graduating. One of the more controversial players in the country, Macura was a talented two-way player. He was arguably the most important defender for the Musketeers this past season and also put up 12.9 points per game, which was second on the team. These two departures are easily the biggest blows but there are three other rotation players who are also not returning.

In the frontcourt, Kerem Kanter and Sean O’Mara, the two centers, are both graduating. With one of these players on the floor at all times for Xavier, it was very difficult for a team to ever have an advantage in the paint on either side of the ball. Kanter was the third-leading scorer on the team in 2017-18 with 10.9 points per game while O’Mara played 15 much-needed minutes off the bench.

Lastly, it was a bit of a surprise to see Kaiser Gates elect to sign with an agent this offseason to end his college career. Considering the mass exodus of elite graduates, this move greatly hurts the program as Gates was expected to take on a major role as a senior. In this last season, the 3-and-D forward averaged 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 37.8% from deep.