Xavier needed front court depth. In John Hugley IV they got a man who know his way around the paint.
Two things jump out immediately about John Hugley. For starters, he’s a stout lad. Standing 6-11 he also brings 270 listed pounds to the low block. This is not a willowy big man that Xavier has brought in, it’s a human wrecking ball. Secondly, Hugley is from Cleveland by the way of Brush High on the border of South Euclid and Lyndhurst. There’s a born in toughness that comes with the area that Hugley has evinced in his career.
And that career has been somewhat wandering before it landed at Xavier. Hugley started at Pitt and had two seasons there cut short by injury. In his full season at Pitt Hugley was a monster, leading the team in both rebounding and scoring. His offensive efficiency wasn’t great, but he ate glass in a way that Xavier hasn’t seen since a healthy Tyrique Jones. Another injury ended his career at Pitt, which led to a season at Oklahoma. There, Hugley was once again good on the defensive glass, but his offensive rebounding rate was barely half what it had been. His offensive efficiency, on the other hand, shot up to 113.7.
The injuries to Hugley are a very obvious concern. Big men can develop lower limb injuries at an alarming rate, and its Hugley’s knees that are continuously acting up on him. He managed 24 games last season before his meniscus required surgery. Prior to that he played seven games, 32 games, and eight games in the three seasons he’s been in college. That paints a picture of a player who can dominate when healthy but who also struggles to stay healthy. Xavier fans are already familiar with that when it comes to Zach Freemantle. With Lassina Traore now also out, Xavier’s depth at the post is an injury away from being negligible.
That’s the downside. The upside is that Hugley can dominate games when fit and firing. Against TCU last year he had 14/7/0 in just 22 minutes. He threw in a 15/10/2 in 20 minutes as well. When healthy at Pitt he scored in double figures, including a game over 30 and several over 20, in 23 of 32 games. He’s also cutting a more trim figure in the months he’s been at Xavier. That can only augur well for the health of his joints.
So where will Hugley fit? He’s come off the bench in the two very limited scrimmages that Xavier has played so far this season. It seems likely that Sean Miller will try to limit his time, at least initially, until he is fully in game and running shape. X still has Freemantle, Cam Fletcher, Dailyn Swain and a host of big body guards competing for time at the forward spots. Traore would have been a massive addition, but there’s depth there that can hold things down while Hugley gets his minutes up. For Xavier to have serious postseason success, they’ll need the big man from Cleveland. If he’s healthy, he’s more than up to the task.