Sports Poets Society

Both teams are somewhere on the bubble, with this game going a long way toward determining exactly where. Xavier needs it, but St. John's will be tough at home . In the 9 days since Xavier last played, and lost to, St. John's a lot has changed . The Red Storm were resurgent at that point , with the Musketeers marking their third win in a row and a rise back into NCAA tournament bubble consideration. That loss had the effect of leaving Xavier on the edge of desperate for at least two good wins down the stretch to solidify their own standing. The Musketeers had looked good coming into the game, and looked very bad coming out . Since then, the teams have essentially flipped positions. St. John's got obliterated by Georgetown in a game that was effectively over at the half. A win over a Seton Hall team that it's possible that the Banners staff and some of the top Twitter contributors could beat right now hardly went any way in repairing the damage. Meanwhile, X...

SEDLER FAMILY MEN'S HEAD BASKETBALL COACH Xavier University announced a gift from Tom and Genny Sedler to endow its Head Men's Basketball coaching position. Thanks to the largest donation ever made to the men's basketball program , the position of Men's Head Basketball Coach will be re-named the "Sedler Family Men's Head Basketball Coach." This is the first endowed coaching position at Xavier. OVER 100 WINS AND COUNTING Xavier head coach Chris Mack has recorded a 111-57 (.661) mark overall and stands fourth on Xavier's all-time wins list after his first five seasons at the helm. Mack signed a contract extension in the off-season that goes through the 2019-20 season .  Mack, 44, has led Xavier to the NCAA Tournament in four of his first five seasons at the helm, including the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2010 and 2012. Mack led Xavier to Atlantic 10 Conference Regular Season Championships in 2010 and 2011.  XU finished in the top ...

Steve Lavin Takes New York by Storm [AOL Fan House] « on: August 02, 2010, 08:17:37 PM » Brett McMurphy, Senior NCAA Writer SARASOTA, Fla. -- Even before Steve Lavin is one sentence into answering my first question, a realization quickly settles in: The fully-charged batteries in my digital recorder will not be able to outlast St. John's new basketball coach. Lavin is extraordinarily accommodating and gracious with his time. And, boy can he talk. He manages to reference plate tectonics, continental drift speed, the Bible, poetry, John Wooden, Rome, Don Coryell, Don Zimmer, Paris, Sid Gillman, Joe Torre, Noah's Ark, Gene Keady and the Karate Kid's Mr. Miyagi. And that's just in the first 10 minutes. There has never been a question about Lavin's gift of gab. But the former UCLA coach did have doubts if he would ever return to the sideline. That all changed on March 30. "St. John's was the first school that presented three kind of key ...

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/xavier/2015/02/22/tourney-resumes-at-stake-for-xavier-st-johns/23707029/ Shannon Russell, srussell@enquirer.com 3:03 p.m. EST February 22, 2015 NEW YORK - Nine days after losing to St. John's at Cintas Center , Xavier's men's basketball team is about to get another crack at the Red Storm. And Monday's 8 p.m. meeting at Madison Square Garden could be just as tough. Steve Lavin's club has won 4 of its last 5 games , including the 78-70 defeat of the Musketeers Feb. 14 at Cintas Center , and is 14-4 at home . With only a handful of regular-season games left, time is of the essence for both teams as they jockey for placement in the Big East standings and attempt to polish their resumes for postseason consideration. "We play a team that beat us just a week ago, the most athletic team in our conference , a team that's going to present a lot different challenge than Butler ," Musketeers coa...

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/xavier/2015/02/21/xavier-thumps-no-19-butler-76-53/23706667/ Shannon Russell, srussell@enquirer.com 9:54 p.m. EST February 21, 2015 Myles Davis felt it. So did Jalen Reynolds. Not to mention James Farr. The first time Xavier's men's basketball team faced Butler this season, a Jan. 10 loss at Hinkle Fieldhouse, those Musketeers players were disappointed with their play. So Saturday's rematch at Cintas Center was personal. "I feel like Butler didn't get Myles Davis when we were there," Davis said. "I felt like I owed it to my team and my teammates to play hard and play aggressive and everybody brought it today." Led by Davis' 18 points, the Musketeers handed the No. 19 Bulldogs a 73-56 loss before a crowd of 10,492. Trevon Bluiett added 11 points, Farr had eight points and 11 rebounds in just 11 minutes and Reynolds finished just short of a double-double with nine points and 11 boards. It was a big win...