Atlantic 10 Conference report

SportsLine.com Report
April 14, 2000

Don't call the season a wash. Sure, Xavier didn't reach the NCAA Tournament -- again -- despite reaching 20 victories -- again.

But the Musketeers, who were snubbed last season, which produced 25 victories, won a game in the NIT and might have won another, had they not run into one of the hottest college players going.

Notre Dame, a team of mystery -- the Fighting Irish have beaten a number of nationally ranked teams yet lost to some they shouldn't have -- knocked Xavier out of the NIT in the second round with a 76-64 victory in South Bend, Ind.

The 6-foot-11 Troy Murphy finished with 21 points for Notre Dame, but it may have been Xavier's constant attention thrown his way that allowed the Irish to sideline the Musketeers.

"We wanted to do a good job on Murphy," Xavier coach Skip Prosser said. "We didn't consciously try to stop him and let the other guy beat us."

The "other guy" was guard David Graves, who scored 24 points, including 21 in the first half.

Before Xavier decided it was time to try and stop Graves, a lot of damage had been done. Murphy picked up the slack in the second half.

Xavier has many good memories of the regular season. Among them was a stunning upset of then-No. 1 Cincinnati, its cross-town rival.

Still, the NIT loss stings and doesn't exactly lend credence to the team's NCAA gripes.

"We didn't get it done," Xavier guard Maurice McAfee said.

A glance at 2001

Twenty victories is not out of the question. Four starters and the team's top reserves will return.

Swingman Lloyd Price probably will undergo offseason shoulder surgery, but should be ready to return in time for the season, Prosser said.

Freshman David West, who started off quickly and wound up leading the Atlantic 10 in rebounding has great potential to carry the Musketeers. Prosser, in fact, mentions him in the same sentence as former Xavier greats Brian Grant, Tyrone Hill, Derek Strong, Aaron Williams and Torraye Braggs.

"(But) his skills need to improve," Prosser said. "David West had a great freshman year. Now he has a taste of what it's like. He's played against some of the best players in the country."

The coach

Prosser has done a marvelous job at Xavier. In six seasons, he has guided the program to 126 victories, including five 20-win seasons.

He truly squeezes as much from the talent as he has available. This season, Prosser took a team with limited height and experience and turned it into a winner.

Before coming to Xavier, Prosser spent one year at Loyola (Md.), where he led the team to an NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the tournament championship of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

In seven seasons, Prosser's teams have been to the postseason six times, including five invitations to the Big Dance.

Who'll be back

Leading scorer McAfee and leading rebounder David West head a long list of returnees, which also includes two other starters -- forward Kevin Frey and swingman Loyd Price. Forward Aaron Turner, guard Alvin Brown and 6-10 center Reggie Butler are the key reserves coming back.

Who's gone

Talented swingman Darnell Williams and little-used center Obi Harris depart. Replacing Williams will not be easy, as he was the undisputed leader of the team.

Key newcomers

Prosser has received at least one early commitment in Central African native Romain Guessagba-Sato, a 6-4 guard from Dayton (Ohio) Christian High School.

Freshmen Lionel Chalmers and David Young, along with Guessagba-Sato have to become academically eligible.

Guessagba-Sato was named Ohio's Division II player of the year after averaging 26.4 points, 15.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists at Dayton Christian.

Chalmers practiced all season with the Musketeers and is expected to be OK academically, while Young, of New Castle, Pa., is attending Xavier, though he did not practice with the team. He is considered a good scorer.