The hits just keep on coming.
First, the news:
NEWS: 4⭐️ Nyk Lewis has received his release from Xavier and will reopen his recruitment, he tells @On3Recruits.
The 6-1 point guard is a top-60 recruit in the 2025 class. https://t.co/EidJqpF9xL pic.twitter.com/4OTcBncHec
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 28, 2025
This was probably expected by anyone paying attention, but it’s still something less than welcome news. The Muskies will have plenty of minutes available at the guard spots, and Lewis might have been able to come in and contribute immediately.
The Muskies will have plenty of minutes available everywhere, actually. Every single scholarship player who saw even a minute of playing time last season is gone. Zach Freemantle, Jerome Hunter, Dayvion McKnight, Marcus Foster, and Dante Maddox Jr have all run out of eligibility. Ryan Conwell, Dailyn Swain, John Hugley IV, and Cam Fletcher have all hit the transfer portal. For someone who came back to Xavier to put the program firmly back on the rails, Sean Miller is leaving something more similar to a train wreck in his wake after three years.
Still, hope persists. Richard Pitino is a young and talented coach, and he was able to lure high-level talent to New Mexico. Redshirt players Lassina Traore and Roddie Anderson haven’t (yet) declared for the portal. There are scholarships aplenty to be given out; it’s up to the new coaching staff to use them productively.