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Xavier Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Musketeers

By Jerran Anderson

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 09: The Xavier Musketeers logo on the floor before a college basketball game against the Oklahoma Sooners on December 9, 2020 at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 09: The Xavier Musketeers logo on the floor before a college basketball game against the Oklahoma Sooners on December 9, 2020 at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Xavier Basketball Paul Scruggs Zach Freemantle Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
Xavier Basketball Paul Scruggs Zach Freemantle Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports /

Projected starting lineup

Point Guard – Dwon Odom, Soph.

Dwon Odom returns after a solid debut at the lead guard role in 2020-21 for Xavier basketball. He’s a solid playmaker with nice speed and athleticism for his size at 6-foot-2.

Odom posted 6.6 ppg, 2.9 apg and 2.6 rpg this past season. With a full offseason and preseason under his belt, he’s a strong breakout candidate for this group.

Guard – Nate Johnson, Senior

Nate Johnson had quite the debut for the Musketeers after making the move from Gardner-Webb. Johnson started in all 16 contests he appeared in before going down in late February with a leg injury.

He averaged 11.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.7 apg, and 1.2 spg across 31.5 mpg and shot 45.2 percent from behind the arc while knocking down 2.6 3-pointers per contest. He put up a season-best 25 points on 7-of-9 shooting from 3-point land against Oklahoma back on Dec. 9 in a victory. He’ll look to bring more of that on the perimeter in 2021-22.

Guard/Wing – Paul Scruggs, Senior

Paul Scruggs is the unsung leader of this Xavier basketball group given his ability to be a factor on both ends of the floor. He put up 14.0 ppg, 5.7 apg, 4.0 rpg, and 1.6 spg as a stat-sheet stuffer in 2020-21.

Scruggs is a 6-foot-6 prospect with a ton of versatility that plays unselfishly on the floor. He shot a modest 45.8 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from 3-point land and returns looking to be an efficient cog in the offense once again in his final season.

Forward – Zach Freemantle, Junior  

Zach Freemantle returns after earning Big East basketball’s Most Improved Player award this past season. He improved his production from 7.5 ppg and 4.3 rpg to 16.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, and 1.4 apg in 2020-21.

Freemantle turned a lot more heads this past season with his efficiency (51.3 percent from FG range) and his ability to rebound the ball on both ends of the floor. He’ll look to lead the team and conference in rebounds while improving on his perimeter shot.

Forward/Center – Jack Nunge, Junior

Jack Nunge is an import from the transfer portal hailing from Big Ten basketball via Iowa. He played a backup role to current Detroit Pistons big man Luka Garza this past season, where he averaged 7.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 1.3 apg in just 15.9 mpg. With a bigger role at the biggest need for Xavier basketball, Nunge is a 6-foot-11 big man with a lot of promise in this system.