Xavier enters the transfer portal without much of a roster and no coach
Xavier needs a coach. Sean Miller is gone, and with him, I’m guessing, a large part of the roster. The transfer window is open, Trey Green is gone already, and no one on this roster has ties that extend beyond Sean Miller. X needs a coach to get in, stabilize the roster, and get players in (or to stay) to keep building off a tournament run.
Xavier needs someone with some name recognition. No major transfer is going to want to come in and play for someone trying to make a name. X needs a guy with a name. We watched in real time what happened to Villanova when they tried to snag an up and comer with limited experience under his belt. Kyle Neptune didn’t work for them. Travis Steele, who is doing well at Miami, didn’t work out for Xavier partly because he wasn’t a big name, partly because the world conspired against him.
Sean Miller did work. Xavier landed huge names in the transfer market, won three tournament games in three years, and had a roster this season that was top of the Big East in talent before injury ravaged it. That’s what name and brand recognition does.
The leader for the Xavier spot right now is Chris Mack. Mack left Xavier for Louisville, where he got snaked by a guy he thought was his friend, watched what he’d carefully built get immolated around him, and eventually left coaching. He returned this year to Charleston where, to the surprise of no one, he continued the success on the platform that Pat Kelsey had built.
Pat Kelsey is also going to be a name you see bandied about a good deal. Why he’d leave Louisville, where he built a monster of a team this year, is beyond me, but people are talking about him. He seems out of reach, but Xavier is home for him. Maybe that matters here, maybe it doesn’t. Porter Moser is another guy who has landed at a high major recently. He hasn’t had success and isn’t beloved in Oklahoma. Mark Byington just had a great season at Vanderbilt, but he’s unlikely to get huge support there to build a basketball powerhouse.
The assistant route is a dangerous one, but at least two would have some drawing power. Luke Murray has been here before and is reportedly looking for a chance to land a head coaching job of his own after being with Dan Hurley at UConn. Adam Cohen, right here at Xavier, will also likely get a look. Speaking of assistants, whoever comes in would do well to retain Mario Mercurio.
That brings us to coaches on the rise. There are a pie of names here. You can hit the MAC for Jeff Boals or John Groce. High Point’s Alan Huss is certain to be mentioned in connection with the job. Phil Martelli Jr at Bryant has garnered buzz this year, as has Josh Schertz, who resurrected Indiana State and then left for Saint Louis. Eric Olen has done similar at UCSD. Drew Valentine, Tony Skinn, Bryce Drew, Mark Schmidt, and Mitch Henderson are all coaches who have had success at lower levels.
Finally, there is Richard Pitino. He struggled at Minnesota but has bounced back to be very successful at New Mexico. He’s also made no secret of the fact he’d like to move on to a bigger school with more to offer. That, for him, could well be Xavier.
This is by no means a comprehensive list and it certainly won’t be our last article on this topic. Xavier needs to get someone with some buzz and do it fast. The wrong step here and the Musketeers could become Georgetown. No one wants that.