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Xavier Basketball: 2019-20 season preview for the Musketeers

By Lukas Harkins

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 08: Quentin Goodin #3 and Paul Scruggs #1 of the Xavier Musketeers look on in the second half of the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Fifth Third Arena on December 8, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati won 62-47. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 08: Quentin Goodin #3 and Paul Scruggs #1 of the Xavier Musketeers look on in the second half of the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Fifth Third Arena on December 8, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati won 62-47. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 18: Marshall of Xavier reacts. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 18: Marshall of Xavier reacts. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Key storylines to follow

1. Will end-of-season momentum carry over?

It is no secret that a lot of the hype regarding Xavier this season is centered around the team’s strong finish to last year. With that said, though, was the Musketeers’ strong finish to the year really indicative of the squad turning the corner or just a small sample size of success? Fans have to hope that it was the former in order for Coach Steele’s squad to realize its potential this season.

It is also important to mention, though, that the team will feature six newcomers in the rotation this season. Even though the core four (Goodin, Scruggs, Marshall, Jones) is still intact, the newcomers will need to assimilate into the rotation quickly in order to succeed. While most people will agree that Xavier’s depth improved this offseason, that neglects to consider the impact of losing the chemistry that the team had down the stretch of last year. I don’t think there will be any major issues with chemistry this season and believe that Xavier will live up to the hype, but this storyline is worth discussing.

2. How will the Musketeers replace Zach Hankins?

This is one of my biggest worries for Xavier this season. Zach Hankins might have only spent one year with the program but he was spectacular in his role. Hankins started 22 games for the Musketeers last season and averaged 10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game on 68.9% shooting. In addition to his strong numbers, Hankins made an impact in ways that did not show up in the box score. He was a tremendous competitor that constantly pushed the rest of the roster to play with a ton of energy. Additionally, he set great screens and used his athleticism well to disrupt opponents on both ends of the floor.

Following his graduation, the Musketeers are hoping to replace his contributions (and those of Ryan Welage) with the likes of three newcomers in Jason Carter, Zach Freemantle, and Daniel Ramsey. Carter is the only member of this trio with any collegiate experience as he is a grad transfer while the others are true freshmen. The hope is that this group will be able to provide consistently strong minutes in the frontcourt but they will have a difficult time replacing the energy and production of Hankins (and Welage).

3. Will there be enough shooting?

Xavier struggled from beyond the arc last season while shooting just 33.1% from 3-point range as a team (245th nationally). Considering how important strong perimeter shooting is to success in the modern age, it is almost mandatory that the Musketeers improve in that area this season. And while it is unlikely that any of the core four will take significant strides in this area, a few of Xavier’s newcomers project as immediate sharpshooting options.

Bryce Moore is the only proven perimeter threat at the collegiate level off the bench but both KyKy Tandy and Dahmir Bishop can let it fly from deep as well. Even grad transfer power forward Jason Carter dropped in 23 threes on 34.3% shooting last year. On paper, it appears as though Coach Steele has filled this void in his offensive scheme.

This is still worth mentioning as a potential weakness considering Xavier’s presumed top four players (Goodin, Scruggs, Marshall, Jones) only shot a combined 141-for-450 (31.3%) from deep last season. The newcomers mentioned absolutely need to be threats in order to offset that.