Busting Brackets
Fansided

Xavier Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Musketeers

By Jerran Anderson

Mar 23, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; Xavier Musketeers on the scoreboard during practice day at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 23, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; Xavier Musketeers on the scoreboard during practice day at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
Xavier Basketball head coach Sean Miller Ncaa Xavier Texas Ncaa Sweet 16 March 24 0318
Xavier Basketball head coach Sean Miller Ncaa Xavier Texas Ncaa Sweet 16 March 24 0318 /

Xavier basketball already enters with some tough news heading into the 2023-24 season. Their two returning leading scorers from a season ago, Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter, likely to both miss the entire season.

Freemantle missed the last 15 games of the 2022-23 season due to a foot injury and his injury hasn’t improved since having surgery. With a second surgery potentially on the horizon, he’s not set to return until January at the very earliest and could be in doubt for the season. He averaged 15.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 2.9 apg on 58.5 percent shooting from the field in 2022-23. His loss deals a huge blow to the program as they look to make another run in the NCAA Tournament.

Hunter was a pivotal piece for the Musketeers in 2022-23 as a frontcourt reserve and was due to emerge in a starting role in the lineup this year. He produced 7.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 1.3 apg across 37 appearances (15 starts) this past season. He’s out indefinitely with an undisclosed medical issue.

The losses of Freemantle and Hunter deal a huge blow to the Musketeers’ frontcourt and on-court leadership as they look to bounce back from a run to the Sweet 16 to do more damage in Year 2 under head coach Sean Miller. Transfer portal additions Davion McKnight (Western Kentucky), Quincy Olivari (Rice) and Abou Ousmane (North Texas) will be relied upon heavily to make an instant impact as will freshmen newcomers Trey Green, Dailyn Swain, Lazar Djokovic and Reid Ducharme.

With their trio of transfer acquisitions, the 2023 recruiting class and Desmond Claude and Kam Craft returning, the potential remains for the Musketeers to remain competitive in Coach Miller’s second year. Take a look at the season preview for the Xavier Musketeers heading into the 2023-24 season.

Home/Big East