Xavier Nation - The Official Magazine for Xavier Athletics - Fall 2016

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QUIET RIOT XAVIER ENCOURAGES POINT GUARD EDMOND SUMNER TO BE MORE VOCAL ON THE COURT

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THIS SEASON’S X-FACTOR?

SEAN O’MARA SPENT HIS OFFSEASON ‘WORKMANLIKE’ AND FOCUSED

RUNNING WILD

TRACK STAR ZACHARY POLK RACKS UP MEDALS— AND RECORDS

SONG AND DANCE MAN

LOCAL 12 ANCHOR BOB HERZOG LOVES HIS MUSKETEERS

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Contents X AV I E R N AT I O N

FALL 2016

28 | Living Out Loud Coach Chris Mack wants his point guard to be more talkative on the court. For Edmond Sumner, that’s not always so easy.

34 | Game Plan Wife, mother of three, and successful volleyball coach?

It can be done. Just ask Xavier’s Christy Pfeffenberger.

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12 Smile for

the Camera Xavier athletes have fun in the photo studio with university director of photography Greg Rust.

14 The Players

Learn about women’s track/ cross country standout Maddie Britton, women’s soccer player Samantha Dewey, baseball player Garrett Schilling, former cross country runner Tommy Kauffmann, and women’s basketball players Marquia Turner, Martha Thompson, and Raeshaun Gaffney.

18 Prestigious Play

Xavier is becoming more and more appealing to elite exempt basketball tournaments.

38 | X-Factor?

Will Sean O’Mara be this season’s X-factor? His offseason commitment was evident throughout the spring and summer.

20 Whose Jersey Is That?

We took another visit to the Xavier Hall of Fame and learned about one of its items on display.

22 Share Your Story

We want to hear from you Musketeer fans! We'll publish some of your stories in the spring 2017 issue of Xavier Nation.

42 | Reaching for the Sky Zachary Polk is on his way to becoming the most decorated athlete in Xavier track and field history.

24 The New Kids

Q&As with the men’s and women’s newcomers.

26 Spin City

Learn how game day music selections are made at Xavier.

46 | Testing the Waters Trevon Bluiett took advantage of a new rule to work out for three NBA teams last spring before opting to return to Xavier.

COOL DOWN

54 Where Are They Now? Catch up with former Xavier basketball walk-on Matt Terpening and former women’s basketball player and former assistant coach Nicole Like.

58 Outlook

50 | T Time More technical fouls are called in BIG EAST basketball than in any other conference. Why is that?

XavierNationMagazine.com

A look at all 18 Musketeer teams.

64 Song and Dance Man Before he was a lawyer, TV reporter/anchor, and local actor/singer, Bob Herzog was a Xavier student.

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XavierNation T H E O F F I C I A L M AG A Z I N E FO R X AV I E R AT H L E T I C S

PUBLISHED & PRODUCED BY Cincinnati Magazine (Ivy Bayer, Publisher) Vehr Communications (Nick Vehr, President) Xavier University (Greg Christopher, Athletic Director)

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Perry (Vehr Communications)

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

(mail b ox)

Dan Guttridge (Vehr Communications) Kara Renee Hagerman (Cincinnati Magazine) Amanda Boyd Walters (Cincinnati Magazine) Mikayla Williams (Vehr Communications)

ART DIRECTOR Danielle Johnson (Cincinnati Magazine)

REPORTERS Rory Glynn, Bob Jonason, John Kiesewetter, Kami Mattioli, Tabari McCoy, Rodney McKissic, Michael Perry, Bill Thompson

PHOTOGRAPHERS

(inb ox) Call 1.800.846.4333 or visit cincinnatimagazine.com

Doug Cochran, Glenn Hartong (photo editor), Malinda Hartong, Greg Rust (Xavier University), Bob Stevens, Frank Victores, David Wegiel

SPECIAL THANKS Brendan Bergen (Xavier University) Tom Eiser (Xavier University) Brian Hicks (Xavier University) Greg Lautzenheiser (Xavier University) Mario Mercurio (Xavier University) Hayley Schletker (Xavier University)

ART & PRODUCTION MANAGER Julie Whitaker (Cincinnati Magazine)

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Missy Beiting (Cincinnati Magazine)

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BUSINESS COORDINATOR Erica Birkle (Cincinnati Magazine)

XAVIER NATION MAGAZINE 700 Walnut St., Suite 450, Cincinnati, OH 45202 513.381.8347 • www.XavierNationMagazine.com

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FROM THE EDITOR

WELCOME

CONTRIBUTORS RORY GLYNN Former Xavier beat reporter and former assistant sports editor of The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Also worked at Cleveland Plain Dealer and Atlanta Journal Constitution.

BOB JONASON Former general manager and digital operations director at Indianapolis Star and former deputy news editor/ sports at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

UC journalism professor. @BobJonason

JOHN KIESEWETTER Longtime TV columnist who writes a Media Beat blog for Cincinnati Public Radio at WVXU.org/tvkiese. @TVKiese

KAMI MATTIOLI Former national writer and college basketball editor for The Sporting News. Now social media manager, sports for WME|IMG. @kmattio

P H OT O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y V E H R C O M M U N I C AT I O N S ; C OV E R P H O T O G R A P H B Y G R E G R U S T

TABARI McCOY Former CinWeekly arts, entertainment, and news reporter.

A professional stand-up comedian.

Also worked at Community Press papers and was a Bengals intern. @tabarimccoy

RODNEY McKISSIC Former Xavier beat reporter for The Cincinnati Post and former sports reporter for the Buffalo News and The News Tribune in Tacoma, Washington. @rodneymckissic

MICHAEL PERRY Former Xavier beat reporter and former sports editor of The Cincinnati Enquirer. Author and publisher of Xavier Tales: Great Stories from Musketeers Basketball (2008). @mdperry14

Take our story challenge

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ABOUT THIS THERE IS NO DEBATE: XAVIER UNIVERSITY HAS A DIEHARD, passionate fan base. And oh, the stories that fan base can tell. Some are even printable. Those are the ones we want for our spring issue.

Check out page 22 for details. Then get out your laptop and start tapping away.

I haven’t covered a college basketball program as a beat reporter since 2002. When people ask what I miss about sports reporting, I usually think about how I got to know the people in the programs I covered, from the players to the coaches to the staff.

Being editor of Xavier Nation magazine has allowed me opportunities to meet some of the Xavier Musketeer family and get to know them—at least a little bit.

Take Edmond Sumner, for example.

He’s on the cover of this edition of the magazine, and he’s certainly among the faces of the program as it enters the 2016–2017 season. Like many of you, I watched last season as Sumner burst onto the scene with his exceptional play, recovered quickly from a scary-looking injury, and displayed some on-court personality.

Here’s what I didn’t know: Off the court, he’s a pretty quiet guy. Wicked smart, but quiet.

Learning that made Sumner an obvious candidate for our cover story. “Coach [Chris] Mack has made it clear to me ever since recruiting [that I have to be more vocal],” Sumner told Xavier Nation. “… It’s not natural.”

This is a fun issue for getting to know some of the Xavier family, including: • Christy Pfeffenberger, mother of three and volleyball coach extraordinaire • Zachary Polk, who is on the way to becoming one of the greatest track stars in school history • Bob Herzog, the popular WKRC-TV 12 reporter/anchor who recalls his time as a Xavier student There’s more, of course. But that should whet your appetite.

Sincerely,

Michael Perry, Editor-in-Chief musketeers@xaviernationmagazine.com

BILL THOMPSON Longtime editor and reporter at The Cincinnati Enquirer, including in the sports department.

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GOOD START // The sophomore third baseman and first-team All–BIG EAST selection was part of a 13-run seventh inning as the Musketeers upset the top-seeded Commodores in their first 2016 NCAA game in June. Bannon was 2-for-5 with 5 RBI. PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID WEGIEL

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HAPPY DAYS AT VANDY RYLAN BANNON HIT HIS FIRST CAREER GRAND SLAM IN A 15–1 VICTORY OVER HOST VANDERBILT IN THE 2016 NCAA TOURNAMENT.

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HERE’S OUR PLAN

JUNIOR KRISTEN MASSA SIGNALS HER TEAMMATES AS SHE PREPARES FOR A MUSKETEERS SERVE AGAINST ARKANSAS.

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HITTIN’ ’EM HARD // Xavier P H OT O G R A P H B Y T K

defeated the Razorbacks 3–1 (25–17, 22–25, 25–14, 25–21) on Aug. 27 at the Illini Classic in Champaign, Illinois. Massa had 12 kills in the match, second to Abbey Bessler’s 22.

PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID WEGIEL

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HELPING HANDS // The sophomore on Xavier’s volleyball

P H OT O G R A P H B Y T K

team, a social work major, spent three weeks volunteering at Villa Salvadora, a home/school for children who have been neglected or abused. She was among 11 students volunteering through Cross-Cultural Solutions.

“The roughly 20 children I worked with were some of the happiest people I have ever laid eyes on,” Estes says. “It taught me the true meaning of happiness and what it was like to be present in every moment and that we are lucky enough to be alive.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY McKENA ESTES

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NICE VIEW IN PERU

McKENA ESTES ENJOYS SOME DOWNTIME LAST SPRING WHILE VISITING MACHU PICCHU IN LIMA, PERU.

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MUSIC AT CINTAS CENTER PG. 26

and MORE

THREE TIMES A CHARM // P H OT O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y N B A P H O T O S

Former Musketeer James Posey, celebrates the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA title last June after their Game 7 victory over Golden State. Posey was an assistant coach on the team and was smack in the middle of the postgame festivities.

It was Posey’s third NBA championship; he won as a player with the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat.

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OUTTAKES

SMILE FOR THE CAMERA

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XAVIER ATHLETES LOOSENED UP AND HAD SOME FUN DURING THEIR STUDIO PHOTO SHOOTS.

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1 BALANCING ACT: Freshman

men’s soccer player Alex Schupp.

2 PUMPED UP: Junior men’s soccer

player Matt Vasquenza.

3 FLEX THOSE MUSCLES: Freshman

men’s basketball player Tyrique Jones.

4 REACH FOR THE SKY: Senior

women’s basketball player Raeshaun Gaffney.

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5 JUGGLING ACT: Senior tennis

players Sydney Liggins (left) and Cristina Di Lorenzo.

6 CHARLIE’S ANGELS: From left,

freshmen cross country runners Bernadette Prichard, Riley Head, Kim Fohrd, and Jane Onders.

8 TEAM TOGETHERNESS: Junior

Karmen Auble (standing) and freshman Sheridan Davenport (on shoulders), track and field competitors.

9 HERE I AM: Senior volleyball player

Sofia Peterson.

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P H OT O G R A P H B Y T K

player Robert DeWitt III.

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7 YAY US: Sophomore men’s soccer

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THE PLAYERS

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THE KICK IS GOOD

// HOW FOOTBALL HELPED SOCCER PLAYER SAMANTHA DEWEY SCORE BIG. BY BOB JONASON

EMPRESS OF ICE CREAM RUNNER MADDIE BRITTON has a chilly superstition. The ritual started in seventh grade, when she first became interested in running.

Now the Xavier women’s track and cross country athlete can’t make it through the day without eating ice cream.

She eats a pint every night,

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SAMANTHA DEWEY KNOWS HOW to put the ball in the net. As a freshman last season, she led the Xavier women’s soccer team with seven goals.

In high school, she proved she could put a football through the uprights, too. She was the kicker for Triton Central in Fairland, Indiana, and holds the school record for career extra points.

The highlight of her prep football career came when Dewey kicked a 23-yard field goal with four seconds left for a 17–14 win over Lutheran High. Dewey made the kick even though the holder bobbled the snap.

“After the ball went through, everyone went nuts,” she says.

Indianapolis Star readers selected Dewey’s clutch kick as the Play of the Week. Sports Illustrated noted Dewey in its “Faces in the Crowd” segment, which features up-and-coming amateur athletes.

The Triton Central football coach asked Dewey to try out during her junior year after the kicker went down with an injury. “Let’s see how you do,” he told her.

She found the transition wasn’t hard. “I just had to get used to kicking off a tee.”

She started with extra points. “After that, the coaches wanted to see if I could kick field goals,” she says. “They backed me up until I couldn’t make them anymore. I think my farthest in a practice was 52 yards.”

She never missed an extra point during her junior year and missed only two her senior year. “And one of them was blocked,” she says.

usually between 8:30 and 10.

“I think being a distance runner encourages an addictive personality,” says the junior from Bay Village, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. “I’m addicted to running—if I skipped a day, I’d go crazy. The same thing has happened to me with ice cream. If I don’t have it, I get really sad.”

Her teammates are aware of her ice cream habit—“I let everyone know”—and Britton encourages them to join her.

“When we travel, I’ll look to see if there are any ice cream shops near the hotel where we’re staying,” she says. “Then I’ll gather everyone who wants to go with me in the lobby. I’ll say, ‘I know how to get there.’ And we get ice cream together.”

In Cincinnati, she likes to frequent Graeter’s, Aglamesis Brothers, and Buona Terra. When she’s at home near Cleveland, she heads to Mitchell Brothers. Edy’s is her favorite store brand. —B.J.

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P H OTO G R A P H S ( TO P) B Y R O B E R T S C H E E R / T H E I N D I A N A P O L I S S TA R ; (B OT TO M) BY M A L I N DA H A R T O N G

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THE PLAYERS

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STAYING ON PACE A XAVIER ALUM REACHES THE OLYMPIC TRIALS.

QUALIFYING FOR THE U.S. OLYMPIC

WILD PITCH

// TAKING A BALL TO THE FACE HASN’T DETERRED PITCHER GARRETT SCHILLING.

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P H OT O G R A P H S (L E F T ) B Y DAV I D W E G I E L ; (R I G H T ) C O U R T E S Y K AU F F M A N N FA M I LY

AS A SOPHOMORE LAST SPRING, BASEBALL CLOSER GARRETT SCHILLING SET A Xavier single-season record with 14 saves.

But a few years ago, as a senior for Bishop Foley Catholic High in Madison Heights, Michigan, Schilling was injured in a play that had onlookers wondering whether he’d ever pitch again.

Schilling was two outs away from a no-hitter when he threw one of his hardest pitches of the game. The batter drilled it right back at him.

“I had no chance to react,” he says now. “It was a blur.”

The ball struck Schilling in the left cheek. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where eventually it took five metal plates to repair the damage. He temporarily lost sight in his left eye.

But the injury didn’t affect Schilling’s determination to play. He was out of the lineup for only a month and a day, and he eventually returned to the mound as a reliever in the state tournament.

The right-hander finished his high school career with a four-year record of 36–0.

How did he get the courage to pitch again?

“I told myself that I couldn’t really think about what could happen,” says Schilling, whose fastball has been clocked at 96 mph. “It was like a one-in-a-million shot, like getting struck by lightning.

“But mentally, it was tough.”

Going to a sports psychologist boosted his confidence.

“He told me, ‘You’ve made that play many times. See yourself making it again, over and over in your head. Always see yourself making that play.’ ” The summer after his senior year, Schilling was starting pitcher in the state all-star game. A batter in the first inning hit a hard liner at him. Schilling, now wearing protective eyewear, quickly got his glove in front of his face and deflected the ball to shortstop, who threw out the batter.

He had made the play.

“Yes, I guess so,” he says.

Ever the competitor, he adds, “Actually I was kind of mad at myself that I didn’t catch it.” —B.J.

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Marathon Trials had long been a goal of Tommy Kauffmann, a 2011 Xavier graduate and one of the best runners in school history.

He had dreamed of making the trials since he was a kid. He made qualifying a priority in the last two years.

“I always tried to be six weeks away from running for a qualifying time,” he says.

Kauffmann finally reached his goal in November 2015, running a time of 1:04:34 at the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon to beat the 1:05 qualifying mark.

His achievement caused quite a stir at Saint John XXIII Catholic School in Middletown, Ohio, where Kauffmann teaches history. The school had an Olympic send-off celebration with a special mass. The principal arranged for a local TV station to do a feature on him.

“That was a surprise,” he says of the TV story. “But it was fun. The students got a kick out of it.”

At the trials last February in Los Angeles, Kauffmann needed a top-three finish to make the Olympics. He struggled early in the race.

“When I got 6 miles into it, I thought, ‘I don’t have 20 more in me.’ And I’m not going to be the guy who is out there walking for half the course just to finish the race,” he says. So he stepped out.

Maybe the warm temperatures in L.A. affected him—he had trained in 20-degree weather at home. Maybe he was mentally “drained and spent” from the buildup to the race. For Kauffmann, who holds several Xavier cross country and track records, it didn’t matter.

“Just being in the race was a big accomplishment,” he says.

Kauffmann still holds several records at Xavier: CROSS COUNTRY • 10K (31:10, set in 2010 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional) INDOOR TRACK • 3,000 meters (8:17.80, set in 2011 at the All-Ohio Championships) • 5,000 meters (14:23.95, set in 2010 at the New Balance Invitational) —B.J.

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THE PLAYERS

POETRY IN MOTION THREE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYERS PUT THEIR HEART INTO THEIR WRITING. BY BILL THOMPSON

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GOOD BASKETBALL PLAYERS MUST HAVE MORE THAN PHYSICAL SKILLS. THEY have to be attuned to the flow of the game and focused on the rhythm of the action. Skill, flow, and rhythm are crucial in another endeavor, as well: poetry.

Three members of the Xavier women’s basketball team write poems to express their feelings and creativity, relieve the stress that comes with being a Division I student-athlete, or, in the case of sophomore Marquia Turner, turn words into a song.

Turner has been writing poetry since she was a high school sophomore, but Martha Thompson and Raeshaun Gaffney began earlier.

Thompson: “My mother used to have us write down what we did during the day since we were in kindergarten. My first poem I actually did when I was in first grade. It was something simple like ‘ABC, 123,’ just something silly.”

Gaffney: “At my elementary school, we had a poetry contest every year; not writing but reciting it. My favorite poems were by Maya Angelou. That’s where I started wanting to write after I saw how powerful her poems were.”

Turner: “I keep a journal, too, but it’s kind of all over the place; whatever I feel like, I just write it. There is no process. But I try to write music, too, so a poem can become a song. I can

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sing a little bit.”

Thompson and Turner will share their words with their teammates occasionally, and all three are intrigued by the idea of standing in front of an audience. But don’t look for their names on a marquee quite yet.

“I went to a poetry thing on campus last year [with Turner],” Thompson says.

“We all did open mic. It just depends on the circumstance. First time I read one of my poems to a teammate was freshman year. She liked it, so I read it to another person. My teammates are family.”

Gaffney has gone from reciting Angelou’s poems in public contests to paying tribute at her grandfather’s funeral (“he wanted me to write one for him”) to keeping her words to herself.

Do you share them with your teammates? “No.” Do you share them with anybody?

“No.” But she says that with a smile. And then admits, “I would like to go to a place and do spoken word; that interests me.”

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P H OT O G R A P H B Y G L E N N H A R T O N G

(From left) Women’s Basketball players Marquia Turner, Martha Thompson, and Raeshaun Gaffney.

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PRESEASON TOURNEY

AHEAD OF THE GAME

HOW DO YOU CREATE A SUCCESSFUL PRE-SEASON TOURNAMENT? ASK JEFF WILSON, MANAGER OF EVENTS AT ESPN. BY KAMI MATTIOLI

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XAVIER WILL PLAY IN THE TIRE PROS INVITATIONAL in Orlando in November. In 2017, the Musketeers will play for the fi rst time in the Las Vegas Invitational.

And in 2018, they will make their debut in the Maui Invitational.

XU has a long history of competing in so-called exempt tournaments, but it’s become an even more attractive participant for the most prestigious of these events because of its consistent success, its conference (BIG EAST) and its passionate/traveling fan base.

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Jeff Wilson, manager of events at ESPN, is part of a group that oversees and runs all of the ESPN-owned and operated college basketball tournaments and events, of which there are 13. We asked him how this all works.

What’s the process for selecting teams each year?

Our events have two primary goals: No. 1 is to provide quality programming and content for ESPN. The second is to provide a positive experience for the teams in

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PRESEASON TOURNEY

our events; that’s both from a competitive standpoint and also the experience of going away and playing at a prime travel destination.

Xavier certainly fits that bill. We’ve had a long history with them over the years, dating back to their time in the Atlantic 10. We know Coach Chris Mack has done a great job of keeping Xavier nationally prominent each year. That really appeals to us.

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WORTH NOTING College basketball programs can schedule a maximum of 29 regular-season games without participating in an exempt tournament event—or 27 regular-season games with an exempt tourney that includes no more than four games (31 total).

EIGHT ELITE TOURNAMENTS (These are considered the most prestigious exempt tourneys)

• 2K Classic, New York City What metrics are used to vet programs? We try to make sure that we pick quality teams that we know are going to have a quality product and be competitive year-in and year-out.

Xavier was with us last year in the AdvoCare Invitational, and all eight teams who were in the field made the postseason—six in the NCAA Tournament and two in the NIT. That’s something that really gets us excited from an event-organizer perspective because we know all the teams came away with a good experience.

We’re looking for teams who are well-established that are perennially going to be in the national equation or a team that is building their program and is looking for a chance to make a splash on the national stage. Both scenarios provide compelling matchups throughout the tournament week.

How much does a loyal fan base play into inclusion into top events? A program like Xavier really excites us from a fan perspective because they have a passionate fan base that travels well and really supports their program.

That’s good for us to provide that experience not only to the student-athletes and coaches, but also to the fans so they can get away and go to places like Orlando or Puerto Rico in the late fall and enjoy a few days in a pretty nice location. It’s very helpful when you have programs where the fans travel well and really come out to support their teams. It makes the experience that much better.

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• AdvoCare Invitational, Lake Buena Vista, Florida • Battle 4 Atlantis, Paradise Islands, Bahamas • The DirecTV Wooden Legacy, Fullerton/Anaheim, California • Las Vegas Invitational • Maui Invitational • Paradise Jam, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands • Tire Pros Invitational, Orlando, Florida *

XAVIER EXEMPT TOURNEY HISTORY (Since 1998) • 2016–17: Tire Pros Invitational, Orlando, Florida * • 2015–16: AdvoCare Invitational, Orlando, Florida • 2014–15: Wooden Legacy, Anaheim, California • 2013–14: Battle 4 Atlantis, Bahamas • 2012–13: DirecTV Classic, Anaheim, California • 2011–12: Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, Honolulu • 2010–11: Paradise Jam, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands • 2009–10: Old Spice Classic, Lake Buena Vista, Florida • 2008–09: ESPN O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off, San Juan, Puerto Rico • 2007–08: Chicago Invitational Challenge • 2006–07: Paradise Jam, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands • 2005–06: The Wooden Tradition, Indianapolis • 2003–04: Dell Black Coaches Association Classic, Cincinnati • 2002–03: Preseason NIT, Cincinnati and Stanford, California • 1999–00: Great Alaska Shootout, Anchorage, Alaska • 1998–99: Puerto Rico Shootout, San Juan, Puerto Rico * This year’s tournament was moved to Orlando from Puerto Rico because of concerns about the Zika virus.

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HALL OF FAME

CAROL MADSEN’S JERSEY

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AS A XAVIER UNIVERSITY ALUM, CAROL Madsen enjoys attending plenty of basketball games at the Cintas Center. But Madsen-Miller, who starred for the Musketeers women’s basketball team from 1991 to 1994, says friends and family joke they know where to find her if they get separated during a game.

All they have to do is visit her No. 30 jersey on display in the P. Douglas O’Keefe Athletics Hall of Fame.

Transferring to Xavier after her freshman year at Purdue, Madsen rewrote the record book at Xavier, setting eight school records by the time she graduated. Still the record holder

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for most points in a game (46 vs. LaSalle in 1994), Madsen’s prolific play led Xavier to the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC) Tournament championship—she was also named MVP—and the Musketeers’ first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, both in 1993.

Now an elementary school teacher in the Cincinnati suburb of Finneytown, the 1992 and 1994 MCC Women’s Player of the Year was inducted into Xavier’s Hall of Fame in 1999 and will be part of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2017 class.

Madsen-Miller, who only has three pieces of memorabilia from her playing days—one of which (a framed T-shirt signed by all of the players) was recently given to her by her neighbor, the stepdaughter of a former Xavier mathematics professor—says having her jersey on display is almost surreal.

“You go down the line and you see [women’s stars] Nicole Levandusky and Amy Waugh and [men’s stars] Tyrone Hill, Brian Grant, and David West; all these people who did great things,” she says. “I just feel like it’s quite an honor to have something of mine [on display] with all of theirs.”

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P H OT O G R A P H S (L E F T ) C O U R T E S Y X AV I E R U N I V E R S I T Y; (R I G H T ) B Y G L E N N H A R T O N G

NO. 30 WAS MVP OF THE 1993 MCC TOURNAMENT AND LED XAVIER TO ITS FIRST WOMEN’S NCAA APPEARANCE. BY TABARI McCOY

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FAN CONTEST

P H OT O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y X AV I E R U N I V E R S I T Y

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SHARE YOUR STORY // XAVIER FANS—WE’RE READY TO HEAR YOUR BEST STORIES. WE KNOW YOU’VE GOT THEM.

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XAVIER NATION IS ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR GOOD STORIES TO TELL, WHETHER they are about athletes, coaches, support staff—or fans.

That’s where you come in.

We’re looking for fantastic fan stories for our Spring 2017 issue that are touching, inspirational, funny, meaningful. We’re loosely asking: • Why are YOU a Xavier fan?

• What does it mean to YOU to be a Xavier fan?

• What’s your favorite story about YOU and Xavier sports?

The story you submit should be fewer than 200 words. You must agree to be photographed and to allow us to share your story in Xavier Nation magazine, online, and on social media (including photographs).

Please note: Not all stories will be chosen for publication. Send stories by December 5, 2016 to musketeers@xaviernationmagazine.com

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NAVIGATION HERE

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GETTING TO KNOW YOU

#11

#15

#35

MALCOLM BERNARD

MEGAN CHRISTOPHER

RASHID GASTON

Pregame rituals or superstitions? I like to eat a bag of Skittles and put my headphones on. I really don’t talk to anyone outside of my teachers, teammates, or coaches.

Favorite movie? Love & Basketball. It’s kind of old school, so it’s kind of weird. I saw it when I was younger, and it’s one of those movies I just keep watching. [The male lead, Omar Epps], dude’s cute, that helps!

Favorite non-basketball activity? Playing NBA2K [video games]. I always play the most recent version, and I always play with whatever team Kevin Durant is on.

Role models/heroes? It was Michael Jordan, but recently—I just switched it, actually, to Muhammad Ali. They’re the same in many ways. I just love the way they not only approached basketball and boxing, but more so how they approach life.

Worst thing you’ve ever eaten? Octopus. I was not a fan because it was still moving. They said it was dead, but I guess the nerves were still active and it was still twitching.

It started moving in my mouth, and I didn’t like that.

Who would you pick to play you in a movie? Denzel Washington, hands down.

He’s one of the smoothest cats, his whole demeanor— it’s either him or Will Smith.

They’re just smooth dudes and carry themselves well.

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SPEND SOME TIME WITH XAVIER UNIVERSITY’S NEW BASKETBALL PLAYERS. // BY TABARI McCOY 2 4 X AV I E R N AT I O N | FA L L 2 0 1 6

Something about yourself that might surprise most people? I like country music.

I like Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, and Kenny Chesney.

I’ve never been to any concert [though], whether it’s country, rap, or R&B, and I’ve never been to a basketball game I haven’t played in.

Your nickname is “Swayze,” but it’s not after the late actor Patrick Swayze or the rapper. It’s actually “Sways,” but they put the “e” on the end. My teammates gave it to me at Charleston-Southern because they said that I was a real cool, smooth dude with a good way with words and a lot of girls were attracted to me.

They just kind of took it and ran with it. Even my coaches called me that in practice.

If stranded on a desert island, what three things do you have to have with you?

A buddy, so I had someone to talk to and keep me company.

Food, so cookie dough—if I’m gonna die, I might as well be happy. And lastly, a tiki torch so I could go adventuring throughout the island.

Invitation to the ESPYs or the White House? Oh, the ESPYs for sure! I’m not a big politics person.

Who would you love to meet? Beyoncé, because she rules the world.

Favorite song? “She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5. It’s just reassuring—“she will be loved.”

Where would you like to vacation? I love the beach and I love New York City, but I’d probably want to go to Bora Bora or somewhere like that where you see pictures of it and it just looks very pretty.

If you were going to play a sport other than basketball, which would it be? Baseball. I feel like you can have a long career, they get paid an extremely high amount of money, and they also play a lot of games, too, so I feel like the life is fun.

Favorite food? I really love French fries. They’ve got to be crunchy; I don’t like soft, saggy fries.

What are you afraid of? Spiders. They have eight legs and move really fast and some of them jump and some of them are big—they just creep me out.

How many tattoos do you have? I think 12. The first was of a basketball and a crown so obviously, I’m in love with basketball and I’m a king of the court. [My favorite] would have to be the one of my aunt [Brenda on my forearm] as a tribute to her. She passed away.

It’s a combination of a cross and a rose that says: “Always missing you.”

Celebrity you’d love to meet? Jhené Aiko. I’m infatuated with her. I love her music, her personality, her morals.

What do you add to the team? Toughness and leadership. I can’t say they didn’t have that last year, but [I add] another low-post scoring presence [and a] big-time rebounder.

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GETTING TO KNOW YOU

WARMUP

#10

#3

#0

#20

ASHLEY GOMEZ

QUENTIN GOODIN

TYRIQUE JONES

NA’TEISHA OWENS

You’re originally from Oklahoma City; thoughts on Kevin Durant leaving your hometown team for the Golden State Warriors?

If we’re being honest, I didn’t like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook [playing] together and think that they’d be better separate. I was kind of annoyed, I guess, he went to Golden State, but I’m not that sad about it.

Superstitions? I have a lot. I have to chew gum—mint—during warm-ups. I have to make a layup with my right hand for my last shot. I have to make a 3-point shot from all five spots.

Who would you love to meet? Dwyane Wade because he’s my favorite NBA player.

You used to work at a pizza parlor in your hometown; what’s the strangest order you saw? Somebody ordered a veggie pizza with no cheese, no sauce, just green peppers and onions. Basically, on bread with pesto sauce. That stuff smells disgusting.

Actress you’d choose to play you in a movie? That girl from Gossip Girl: Blake Lively. I think she’s gorgeous. Or Selena Gomez because I feel she’d get me, you know?

What are you afraid of? It’s not really a fear, but I don’t like belly buttons. I also don’t like feet. I just don’t like when people touch my belly button; I don’t like it when people are playing with their belly button— I just don’t like belly buttons!

Go-to song? “Fergalicious” by Fergie. I can sing every word to that song.

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Actor you’d choose to play you in a movie? Martin Lawrence because I feel like he’s one of the funniest/most serious actors out there.

Food you find disgusting?

I can’t stand sushi. Sushi and chitterlings. Chitterlings, I can’t get past the smell. It’s nasty. If you smell them, it smells like a dumpster.

Favorite toy growing up?

A NERF gun. I used to watch a lot of Power Rangers and they were always shooting guns and stuff like that, so I thought I was doing something with a NERF gun.

If you could have a superpower for 24 hours, what would you choose? That’s hard. There are so many. Time travel. You could go back in time and fix things and change things.

Best skill on the court? Making my teammates better. I feel like my strong suit is always going to be driving the ball and kicking it out to open guys, but I feel like I make my team better because I can do more than just one thing. I’m not onedimensional.

What are you most looking forward to during your first season as a Musketeer? Playing in front of a big crowd and playing with [my roommates] because I know how serious we really are on the court. I already have a bond with some of the guys on the team, so it just makes me more eager to go out and play.

Favorite junk food? Big Texas cinnamon rolls. Stick one of those in the microwave . . .

[Smiles].

Best thing about being tall?

When you go to a concert, you can see over everybody.

You’re originally from Hartford, Connecticut. What was it like growing up around the University of Connecticut given all its success? I was always a UConn fan. That was one of my dream schools.

Best thing you’ve learned about Cincinnati so far?

Downtown is only 10 minutes from campus and there’s always something to do.

Anything you collect? Ooh, yes. Well, I don’t collect them anymore, but I used to collect ties. I used to go to a charter school where we had to wear ties and I just fell in love with them. I had like 75, 80 [ties]. I had probably two shirts to go with all those ties.

If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be? Lauren London. She’s beautiful.

What excites you most about playing college basketball? The fans. They get so hyped. I love the fans and watching people go crazy with the painted faces and having fun.

Favorite cartoon character? The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I never watched the show, but every time I see them, I like them.

Your first name is pronounced “Nah-tee-shah”— how often do people mess that up? Oh my gosh. Everybody says “Natasha,” and it doesn’t even look like that.

You were also a track and field star in high school; which sport is tougher?

Definitely track—you run! And, you race other people and you don’t have a whole team to support you.

Favorite video game? It has to be Madden NFL Football. I [play] with the Seattle Seahawks; I’m a Russell Wilson fan. I also play NBA2K. Any pets growing up? I’ve had a lot of dogs. I had a dog named Princess that was horrible. She was mean because she was a pit bull. I love horses. I used to ride mini-horses when I wasn’t tall enough to ride a big one. I wish I had a monkey.

How does Cincinnati’s weather compare to Texas, where you are from? In the summer, it’s like 104, 105 [degrees]. So when I come here and it’s 80, I wear sweatpants [because] it’s [kind of] chilly. In Texas you can wear shorts and a tank top and it’s still hot.

Any animal you don’t like?

Snakes. I was bit by a snake at school. I was in seventh grade and by the basketball court playing around. I saw it come and I didn’t move. It went in a circle around me and it bit me on the ankle and slithered away.

My ankle swelled up. I went to the hospital. I know I had two puncture wounds.

Favorite junk food? Any type of hot chips.

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WARMUP

MUSIC

SPIN CITY POP. HIP-HOP. EVEN COUNTRY. THE CROWDS AT CINTAS WANT IT ALL. AND THERE’S A TEAM BEHIND THE SCENES THAT GIVES IT TO THEM.

BY KAMI MATTIOLI

I

IF YOU WANT TO BECOME THE NEWEST Cintas Center game-night DJ, the position is open. But if your only relevant experience is putting an iPhone on shuffle at a frat party, you’re unlikely to get the position no matter how “fi re” your playlist is.

“It is such an important part of the gameday experience that it takes a little more than putting someone up there and giving them

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access to songs and letting them push the buttons,” says Brian Hicks, Xavier’s Associate Athletic Director for External Relations, who oversees in-arena entertainment.

You need a particular set of skills to entertain a passionate crowd of 10,250 for 17 nights a season. Learning to fi nd common ground is critical because musical preferences vary widely, not just within the team

but among the crowd as well.

Here’s how the program tries to find harmony among the musical discord. The basketball players submit a playlist with their choices of 20–30 songs. The songs are then screened for profanity and inappropriate content. After approval, on game nights, the team’s list plays from 90 minutes before tipoff until the countdown clock hits all

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MUSIC zeroes. The players’ music selections are careful study of the results of a fan experience typically more hip-hop and rap-centric. survey conducted at the end of each season.

“Our fans are our heartbeat, and what After tipoff, the music shifts to a fan- and they think of our program is relevant,” Merfamily-friendly mix of Top 40 and pop hits.

“It’s a hard formula to come up with to curio says. “That game atmosphere is what make everyone happy,” says Mario Mercurio, they’re paying for, and we owe it to them to Xavier’s Director of Basketball Administralisten and try to implement as many of their tion. Part of Mercurio’s job is to coordinate thoughts as we can.”

There have been some other memorable and deliver the playlist to other members of the game-night staff. songs throughout the years. Mercurio remem“[The in-game playlist] is what families lisbers how Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the U.S.A.” ten to on the way to the game,” Mercurio says. riff became Kenny Frease’s personal anthem “It’s kind of what you hear at during the 2011–2012 season.

Slowly, fans began to notice NBA games—upbeat, something a lot of people can relate the then-senior bobbing his to. It’s not really polarizing.” head to the jam during timeCreativity is another skill outs.

“As the season went on, it the DJ position requires. But timing is everything. became more and more obviThe behind-the-scenes ous to more people and ultioperation on game nights is mately it became a little bit almost like air traffic control of a running joke. We said in our program that that was his at an airport. You have to song,” Mercurio says with a have a handle on the pulse of the crowd and be able to divert laugh. from the plan at any time in Part of being a good DJ, any number of ways. too, is knowing the songs that —MARIO MERCURIO, “We have someone who sits should never be played. One DIRECTOR OF down at the scorer’s table with BASKETBALL ADMINISTRATION example: Darude’s “Sandthe headset on—our game prostorm,” a popular choice at ducer—and they’re talking to our audio pernearly every major sporting event. son, our DJ, the pep band, and really direct“In this part of the country, among our ing traffic,” Hicks says. “We have a library of fans, ‘Sandstorm’ is known to be played at the about 2,500-plus songs. We only actively use University of Dayton when they come out of about 25 percent of that. That game producer halftime,” Hicks says. has a list of about 150 ‘situational’ songs.”

Enough said.

If the game producer wants to capitalCountry and oldies make the Xavier ize on, say, a 12–0 run, he’ll consult his list playlist cut on occasion, but if those genres consume too much airtime, the young adults of situational songs for what is called a “hot timeout.” The goal then is to string together a and college students get antsy. Longtime seaseries of songs that keeps the crowd fi red up son-ticket holders don’t fi nd much common and engaged throughout the break in action. ground in the rap and hip-hop that pumps up A favorite song choice: a clean version of the players.

That’s all part of the challenge. But there’s rapper DMX’s “X Gon’ Give It To Ya.” A one constant that holds it all together, Mercuperennial crowd favorite, the obvious conrio says: passion for the Musketeers. nection between “X” and Xavier makes it a no-brainer.

“In a really weird way,” he says, “I com“I can’t imagine ever hitting delete on that pare the atmosphere at a Xavier basketball because it’s such a staple,” Mercurio says. game to what happens at an SEC football “It’s got a lot of energy to it.” game—the passion of the fans, whether it’s a guaranteed game in December or GeorgeMuch of the 2,500-song library is crowdsourced from the student-athletes, positive town in February—people are really, really reaction from fans, or it’s compiled through invested in what happens with our team.”

P H O T O G R A P H S ( T O P T O B O T T O M) C O U R T E S Y S H U T T E R S T O C K , G E T T Y I M AG E S , S H U T T E R S T O C K , S H U T T E R S T O C K

“IT’S A HARD FORMULA TO COME UP WITH TO MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY.”

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WARMUP

FAN FAVORITES

SWEET CAROLINE Neil Diamond

PARTY IN THE U.S.A. Miley Cyrus

WE READY Archie Eversole

X GON’ GIVE IT TO YA DMX

YMCA Village People

JUMP AROUND House of Pain

AFTER A WIN

ALL I DO IS WIN DJ Khalid

AFTER A CROSSTOWN SHOOTOUT WIN

RUN THIS TOWN Jay-Z

DURING A “HOT” TIMEOUT

SONG 2 Blur

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LIVING OUT EDMOND SUMNER

HOW DO YOU TURN A DEDICATED INTROVERT INTO A LEADER? WITH EDMOND SUMNER, IT TAKES CONSTANT PRACTICE, TRAINING, AND EVEN AN ACTING CLASS.

LOUD BY // MICHAEL PERRY PHOTOGRAPHS BY // GREG RUST

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T

HEY TOOK HIM TO

WHEN STEELE FIRST SAW SUMNER IN July 2013 at the Nike Peach Jam in Augusta, Georgia, he was 6 feet tall and maybe 150 pounds (He’s now 6-foot-6, 183).

This was the summer before Sumner’s junior year at Detroit Country Day School,

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P H OT O G R A P H B Y G R E G R U S T

dinner at Boi Na Braza, a Brazilian steakhouse in downtown Cincinnati, during his official recruiting visit. What high school senior wouldn’t be interested in unlimited meat delivered right to his table?

Chris Mack was uneasy, though, as he watched Edmond Sumner take just a few items off the salad bar and pick at one little piece of meat on his plate. Sumner, who had already verbally committed to Xavier, barely said a word all evening.

“He’s not coming,” Mack quietly told associate head coach Travis Steele, who was sitting right there. “He’s not enjoying his visit.”

“He’s coming,” Steele reassured Mack. “He loves Xavier. He’s just a little different.”

That was October 2013. Sumner signed a letter of intent to attend Xavier a month later.

“I didn’t even know I was recruiting Edmond sometimes,” Mack says. “I never got him on the phone. If I did, it was oneword answers. He’s introverted. He’s shy when he first meets people. We mostly went through his dad. His parents [Ernest and Felicia] are quiet, humble, and appreciative. He is just like them.”

“I’m not shy, but I’m quiet,” Sumner says. “My whole family is like that.”

There was no red flag for Mack. No hesitation.

When you have a chance to sign a growing, highly intelligent, skilled point guard with tremendous character, you do it— and worry about his quiet demeanor later.

EDMOND SUMNER

a private school north of Detroit that boasts one of the city’s most storied basketball programs, producing the likes of Chris Webber, Shane Battier, and Ray McCallum.

Sumner was long, skinny. “Looked like a spider,” Steele says. “But he was fearless. He reminded me of [former Musketeer] Semaj [Christon] in how he played. We liked his potential.” Steele saw Sumner a week later in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, where Sumner played even better.

Here’s what happened next: Ernest Sumner told Steele that he and his son would arrive at Xavier’s campus at 8 a.m. on August 1, the first day prospective student-athletes could visit with coaches.

Steele figured the Sumners had to be out the door before 4 a.m. to get to Xavier by that time. He thought it was unlikely but made sure he was in his office early just in case.

At 7:55 a.m., Steele received a text from Ernest saying he and Edmond were in the parking lot.

“Impressive,” Steele says. “That tells you a lot about that family, how disciplined they are. That’s rubbed off on Edmond and allowed him to flourish.”

SUMNER WAS THE YOUNGEST OF THREE children. “I got spoiled,” he says. “I pretty much got to do what I wanted.”

He smiles.

His older brother, Ernest Jr., now 28, is the reason, Sumner says, that he is so competitive. “He would beat up on me every day in basketball,” Sumner says. Pause. “As time went on, I got taller and better. He couldn’t beat me anymore.” Another smile.

In middle school, Sumner started taking basketball more seriously. The family lived on the east side of 7 Mile Road, an area with temptations Ernest and Felicia did their best to combat: drugs, alcohol, gangs.

“My dad didn’t shelter me; he just pushed me toward positive things,” Sumner says. “I could not go to Hawthorne Park by myself. My brother had to be there with me. That’s where everybody would go to play basketball.”

At Country Day, Sumner averaged 19.5

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points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.9 steals as a senior and was a two-time all-state selection. He led his team to one state championship and two regional titles and scored more than 1,000 points in his career.

Sumner says he’s always been willing to learn from anyone and everyone.

“I’m not perfect,” he says. “Far from it.”

He wants to do the right things on and off the court, and he wants that to rub off on his teammates. “You’re never going to see me getting in any type of trouble off the court,” he says. “You’re not going to hear any sass from me.”

THERE ARE DRILLS TO HELP A PLAYER improve his or her ball handling, free throw shooting, and three-point shooting. “There is no road map that I know of to have somebody’s personality come out, to be more vocal, asking someone to change their demeanor,” Mack says. “It doesn’t happen overnight.

“He knows for our team to be at its best and for him to be the best player he can be that he’s got to fi nd that voice that the best players in the country at his position have.”

Now entering his sophomore season, Sumner, 20, is already a solid player, having been unanimously selected to the all-BIG EAST Freshman Team in 2016.

He has a chance to end up being among the best point guards ever to play at Xavier, and he has the tools to play professionally: size, length, quickness, explosiveness, intelligence (he was selected to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team in 2015), a good feel for the game.

On top of that, he exhibited tremendous toughness last season after a well-documented and brutal collision and fall New Year’s Eve at Villanova that sidelined him for more than two weeks and unnerved everyone in the Xavier program, fans in the arena, and people watching on TV. “Scariest moment I’ve had as a coach,” Mack says.

“I don’t remember that much,” Sumner says. “You can read what happened. You can watch what happened. It was just scary.”

“I LEAD BY EXAMPLE. COACH MACK HAS MADE IT CLEAR TO ME EVER SINCE RECRUITING (THAT I HAVE TO BE MORE VOCAL). I’M JUST TRYING TO BE A DIFFERENT PERSON ON THE COURT. IT’S NOT NATURAL.” —EDMOND SUMNER

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1. He has a scar on his right arm where he received 15 stitches after accidentally putting his arm through a window. He was upset because he wanted to go to the park with his brother and his brother wouldn’t let him. Sumner’s PlayStation game system wasn’t working. The cord was stuck. He was going to unplug it and then plug it back in. The TV was by the window. “I yanked it real hard,” he says. “My arm went through the window. I was a little mad at everything.”

2. His favorite basketball player is Kobe Bryant. He grew up a Detroit Pistons fan, admiring Richard “Rip” Hamilton.

He is also a big Kevin Durant fan.

3. He says he’s really good at rollerskating.

4. He’s passionate about computers and technology.

5. He (and teammate Trevon Bluiett) attended the Nike Skills Academy in Los Angeles in late July and got to see the USA Basketball team play a July 26 exhibition game against China. The most memorable moment of the Academy, though, was when Hall of Famer and two-time Olympic gold medalist Gary Payton was watching point guards work out, then pulled Sumner aside: “He told me with my athleticism and speed, there’s no way I shouldn’t be one of the best defenders in college basketball at my position.” Payton, you may recall, was nicknamed “The Glove” because of his defensive ability.

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Sumner had started Xavier’s first 13 games. He rebounded from the injury and came off the bench January 16, playing 25 minutes and totaling 15 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds. The next game he was back in the starting lineup.

“I had a little more fire built up in me,” he says.

Not that anyone would have noticed.

There are players who exhibit a personality off the court, then step between the lines and become a different character. Not Sumner. He’s the same.

“Great teammate. Really good player.

Still quiet,” Mack says.

“I was never the outspoken leader,” Sumner says. “I lead by example. Coach Mack has made it clear to me ever since recruiting [that I have to be more vocal]. I’m just trying to be a different person on the court. It’s not natural.”

“He smiles. He laughs. He’s louder than he’s ever been,” Steele says. “His teammates love him. Once he feels comfortable, he really opens up.”

“We’re seeing it more and more in the locker room,” Mack says. “We’re hearing him and seeing him more engaged than he’s ever been.”

Steele says former Musketeer Larry Austin Jr., who transferred to Vanderbilt, had a great influence on Sumner socially, helping him to become more outgoing. Austin had that kind of personality and some of it rubbed off, Steele says.

“When we first got on campus last year, he wouldn’t say anything to you,” Austin told Campus Rush last spring. “[The] only way he would talk to me, if I was taking him to Wendy’s or McDonald’s right up the street.”

“Larry exaggerated,” Sumner says, smiling. “Well, maybe it was a little true.”

THAT SMILE. When Edmond Sumner flashes that big grin of his, it’s kind of contagious.

“When I’m more intense, I tend to play bad,” he says. “When I play free, smiling, I don’t let everything get to me, and I play a lot better.”

THE DAY IN JUNE THAT HE ATTENDED AN acting class at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, there were two exercises: • The first was about learning how to project your voice. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Sumner says. “It did help.”

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P H OT O G R A P H S B Y (L E F T ) G R E G R U S T; (R I G H T ) J O E S I M O N

5 REVEALS ABOUT EDMOND SUMNER

EDMOND SUMNER

• The second? Well, introverted Edmond Sumner had to read scripts with accents and dialects. (Think: Cockney.) Out loud. In front of eight strangers and the teacher. “No hiding,” he says. Then he had to hold a chair over his head and read the dialogue again. He learned that he would talk more clearly and his voice would go up.

“They made it fun…[but] I was thinking, I can’t wait to get out of here,” Sumner says.

“I only did one class.”

The acting class was an idea generated by the Xavier staff, always willing to try something new to aid in the development of a player. This, though, was a first. “Spaghetti against the wall,” Mack says. “Just seeing if it sticks.

“I didn’t say he had to become an actor,” Mack says. He laughs.

“I think I’m talking more,” Sumner says.

“I feel my teammates hear me. I guess it’s not

BY THE NUMBERS

11

SCORING AVERAGE AS A REDSHIRT FRESHMAN LAST SEASON (SECOND ON THE TEAM)

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loud enough. I’m a quiet guy, that’s true. But I have my moments when I’m outspoken.”

There are some examples of his ongoing improvement.

Xavier has a 5-on-0 offensive drill— against no defense—in which the coaches whisper a play to the point guard, who then has to yell it out. His teammates have to echo the play back to ensure they heard it correctly.

It’s designed to improve communication on the floor emanating from the point guard, the proverbial coach on the floor.

“When we first started doing it with Edmond, it was awful,” Steele says. “We’re training him how to run a team, have a voice, be authoritative, be demanding.

We do that with all point guards. Edmond struggled at first. It’s gotten better.”

When Xavier holds the Chris Mack Basketball Camp in the summer, Mack makes his players develop a speech for the campers.

He wants them to learn to organize their thoughts, project their voices, and captivate their young-and-often-distracted audiences.

“It’s fun watching Edmond learn how to keep a 7-year-old’s attention,” Steele says.

“It’s good for all our guys, but it’s really good for Edmond. He’s not perfect at it, but he’s significantly better.”

It’s a wondrous thing watching a college student develop as a person over his or her time on campus. They sometimes come in socially awkward teenagers and leave with the confidence and poise of a young man or woman.

“That’s our goal,” Mack says. “For all our guys.”

In Sumner’s case, everything contributes to that growth. Community service projects. Clinics for kids. Speaking at camps.

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GAMES SCORING IN DOUBLE FIGURES LAST SEASON

Engaging alumni. When he redshirted as a true freshman because of chronic tendinitis in his knees in 2014–2015, he got to know professors, members of the Xavier support staff, others on campus outside of teammates and coaches. It gave him a chance to grow out of his comfort zone.

After one season of playing, he’s already a fan favorite. People love watching him play. Now they want to know him.

“That’s how you can move people,” Steele says. “The biggest responsibility we have as coaches is teaching our young men how to become responsible men, how to handle themselves. We want to teach our guys how to shake hands, make eye contact, dining etiquette, how to interview, how to speak in front of a crowd of alumni. All those things.

“It’s important for Ed. He has to learn how to be comfortable being uncomfortable. I think he sees the value of it, how big of an impact he can have on people.”

“He’s not the quiet Ed he was when he got on campus,” says junior J.P. Macura, Sumner’s new roommate. “He’s an outgoing person. He’s hilarious. People want to play with him. He’s a good guy to be on the court with. I think he’s becoming a great leader.”

Everyone agrees that Sumner is more vocal and engaged than ever—on the court, in the locker room, in the weight room. He smiles more and more, finding a greater comfort level. But there is still progress to be made.

“He’s a smart kid,” Mack says. “He’s listening. If it was easy for him, then I wouldn’t be asking 1,000 times. He’s made huge strides. He’s night and day from when he first arrived.”

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IT TAKES SOME FLEXIBILITY, BUT CHRISTY PFEFFENBERGER IS SUCCESSFULLY MANAGING HER ROLES AS BOTH XAVIER WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH AND MOM.

BY BILL THOMPSON // PHOTOGRAPHS BY GLENN HARTONG & DAVID WEGIEL

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O

OPPORTUNITY, LIKE NECESSITY, CAN BE THE MOTHER OF INVENTION. Opportunity arrived for Christy Pfeffenberger in January 2015 when she was promoted from associate head coach of the Xavier women’s volleyball team to replace Mike Johnson, who left for Notre Dame after the 2014 season. Ironically, before that same season, Pfeffenberger returned to Xavier—where she was an assistant from 2008 to 2010— from Notre Dame, where she worked from 2011 to 2013.

Before she began her first season as the boss, Pfeffenberger discovered she was pregnant. Four days after the season’s final match on November 27, she became a mother for the third time when her son, Casey, was born.

Herding three kids under the age of 4 is a daunting task for any couple, but Christy and husband Nick have a system that works for them, Caroline, 3½; Lexi, 2; and Casey.

“We make it work,” says Nick, who works at Total Quality Logistics.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

When Pfeffenberger returned to Xavier from Notre Dame, she was pregnant with Lexi and says she would have been content as an assistant coach while raising her kids. “[That’s] debatable,” Nick says, laughing. “We’re talking about a very ambitious woman here. [When the top job opened] it was a no-brainer. She jumped at the opportunity, and I was like, ‘Absolutely.’ It’s her dream come true. She always wanted to be a Division I head coach and from my perspective, we were able to stay in Cincinnati so I was happy.”

His wife recalls the conversation a bit differently, but they agree it was the right decision. Pfeffenberger sees women who coach at top programs and believes she can do that at Xavier because of what the school offers, talented players, and the support of family and friends.

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There are four other female BIG EAST volleyball coaches with children, including Creighton’s Kristin Bernthal Booth, who has three daughters.

“Some of the best female coaches at the highest levels have families,” Pfeffenberger says. “They want work-life balance; they don’t want [their jobs] be their entire world.” She points to Cathy George at Michigan State (two sons), Mary Wise at Florida (two sons), and Christy Johnson-Lynch at Iowa State (one son, one daughter) as examples of coaches with children who have top-25/ top-10 programs.

“Many [women coaches] reached out when I got the head coaching job…saying if I have any questions we’re there.

But the more I get into it, I realize male coaches have the same issues, the same problems,” Pfeffenberger says. “It’s not just the females.”

She also notes some advantages she has.

“The guilt is real. Every working par-

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FA M I LY P O R T R A I T S (P R E V I O U S S P R E A D A N D A B O V E ) B Y G L E N N H A R T O N G ; G A M E P H O T O G R A P H S (P R E V I O U S S P R E A D A N D A B O V E ) B Y DAV I D W E G I E L

FAMILY AFFAIR Christy Pfeffenberger stays close to her husband Nick and kids Casey (in dad’s lap), Lexi (center), and Caroline (right) at home and at the “office,” which just happens to be a volleyball court.

made the league’s all-academic team—and we’re in the Midwest, which is the core of volleyball right now,” she says.

“After being at a larger university, I know I don’t want to go to a big school like that because I won’t have the balance that I have in my life. Not that it’s 50-50 right now, but it’s a lot more flexible than it might be with the demands of a Big Ten or SEC school.”

However, there are perks that come with being a college coach, and sometimes the beneficiaries are the coach’s kids.

“Parent-coaches always remind me that we give our kids an opportunity that many kids don’t get,” Pfeffenberger says.

“Our kids’ friends don’t get a chance to hang out around great role models like my entire team, run around a gym in a collegiate atmosphere, get tickets to games, get into locker rooms. They have no idea that they’re getting to do what other kids will never get to do.”

ers for far longer than the four years they spend in uniform. “[Christy] still has relationships with the kids that she had when she was an assistant,” Nick says. “We still get calls from kids from Notre Dame, from Xavier past; she stays in the loop with all of those people. That’s important to her.

“It might sound cliché, but it’s not the four years that you’re here, it’s the time after that. There isn’t professional volleyball out there; there’s life. So half her job— yeah, it’s winning games—but it’s preparing these kids for life.”

Life involves making decisions.

“It’s like if I was planning to take the kids to the zoo tomorrow, but do I bring the team in and not go to the zoo?”

Pfeffenberger says. “I know it’s good for the team, but I want to be with my kids.

It’s challenging, but it’s also our job, which you have to keep remembering.”

That’s why they’re called working mothers.

PREPARING PLAYERS FOR LIFE

P O R T R A I T (R I G H T ) B Y G R E G R U S T

ent has that,” she says. “But my husband and I both have 24/7 flexible jobs. So it’s doable. He’s Mr. Mom at times and more involved with the kids than I am, and there are times when I’m more involved with the kids than he is. That’s just the way it is.

“Our family is in the area, all within two hours, so we rely on them a lot. My parents [who live in Indianapolis] come to every home match. Nick is from St. Mary’s, Ohio, so his parents will come down and there are two places he can go when I’m out of town.”

PERKS OF THE JOB Pfeffenberger has been coaching for more than 10 years, so she has learned what works best—for her team and her family.

Three seasons in South Bend showed her that a school like Xavier is a better fit on both counts.

“I know Xavier can be successful because we’re in the BIG EAST, we have the academics—13 of the last year’s 16 players

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Work-life balance is a popular topic in many fields, not just collegiate sports.

But by definition, coaches and athletes are competitive—that’s why they keep score. Winning matters, and both Pfeffenbergers are aware of that. How the Musketeers fare on the court will determine if Christy keeps her dream job, Nick stays in Cincinnati, and Caroline, Lexi, and Casey have a rotating cast of 15 or so “aunts” each year.

Her first Xavier team went 18–12 and finished tied for second in the BIG EAST with a 14–4 record. In 2015, three Musketeers were all-conference, and Abby Bessler was the BIG EAST Player of the Year. The team was 9–10 at press time.

“Christy has a bright future as a head coach,” Athletic Director Greg Christopher says. “And beyond Xavier, it’s important for our profession to have successful women head coaches. Young women at all levels need to see female coaches who can balance families and their profession.”

But there are other considerations as well. Coaches impact the lives of their play-

COACHING CAREER Xavier Head Coach 2015–present

Xavier Associate Head Coach 2014

Notre Dame Assistant Coach 2011–2014

Xavier Associate Head Coach 2010

Xavier Assistant Coach 2008–2010

Youngstown State Assistant Coach 2006–2008

Dayton Assistant Coach 2005

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SEAN O’ MARA

FACTOR?

S

Each season, it seems one player surprises and delights both coaches and fans. Is Sean O’Mara next? BY RORY GLYNN

UMMER FOR COLLEGE kids conjures thoughts of road trips, pizza boxes stacked floor-to-ceiling, sleeping till noon, and working out thumbs texting and tweeting.

Then there’s Sean O’Mara, who spent the summer between his sophomore and junior years at Xavier working out everything but his thumbs.

Pizza was off the table, replaced by chicken, fish, and steamed vegetables. Late wakeups? Early workouts. O’Mara’s roadie of note took him to a sweltering gym

in Houston, battling bigger men inside and working to developing the face-up game increasingly essential these days for players standing 6-foot-10 on a basketball court, as O’Mara does.

At his family’s expense—about $2,000, O’Mara figures—he attended the player development camp run by former NBA player and coach turned development guru John Lucas. “It was a lot of hard work,” O’Mara says. “But it was really cool.”

From Xavier’s perspective, the coolest part was O’Mara investing so much in himself, and not from his

bank account. O’Mara’s commitment to improvement was evident throughout the spring and summer, from how much time he spent in the gym to how he worked out to what he ate, coach Chris Mack says.

“His approach to the offseason has been very workmanlike,” Mack says. “It’s not just the John Lucas camp. He’s lifting, he’s in the gym more than I’ve ever seen. And not only has he put in the work, he’s eating right, watching his calories.

He is as focused as any player I’ve seen over an offseason.”

O’Mara, who averaged 3.2 points and 1.9 rebounds in 7

BY RORY GLYNN // PHOTOGRAPHS BY MALINDA HARTONG

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“I DON’T WANT MY PHYSICAL CONDITIONING TO BE ANY REASON FOR ME NOT TO BE ON THE FLOOR THIS YEAR.” —SEAN O’MARA

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NON-STOP ACTION // Sean O’Mara has been relentless in his workout routines. Coach Chris Mack says O’Mara was “as focused as any player I’ve seen over an offseason.”

The 6-foot-10 junior forward/center averaged 7 minutes and 3.2 points a game last season; he wants to play more and have a greater impact.

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Mack says. But it was at the Lucas camp that O’Mara had his epiphany.

“As much as you might run or do other stuff, basketball is such a good workout in itself, as long as you work as hard as you can at it,” he says. “It’s not a bad thing at all to be working in the gym as much as you can. You can get so much more, skilldevelopment-wise, out of a basketball workout, along with the stamina and the conditioning.”

Lucas’s summer sessions are renowned both for their tempo (fast) and their temperatures (hot). “In the summertime, he will put a lock on the thermostat,” camp instructor Matt Howard told the Houston Press two years ago. Says O’Mara: “There’s a nice gym and a bad gym, and you never know which one you’re going to get.”

While summering in Houston, O’Mara also got:

• EARLY WAKEUP CALLS. “For me, it was 6:45

every day. Your first workout starts at 8, but you leave the hotel at 7:30. When they say it starts at 8, it’s just like we do here; you’re full speed at 8. You’ve got to be ready. You get in, lace up, and you go.”

• NONSTOP ACTION:

“From there, it was 30 minutes of individual work, like post moves for a big guy like me,” O’Mara says. “Guards would work on their own things. After that, you’d play for a half hour, 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 with just your position group. After that it’s guards and bigs [together], whether you play full court or a drill. Then we’d go 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 or maybe just a little bit of 5-on-5, nonstop, for an hour. Combined with the heat, it was a really good way to stay in shape, or get in shape if that’s what you were trying to do.”

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P H OT O G R A P H S B Y M A L I N DA H A R T O N G

minutes a game as a sophomore, knows the opportunity is out there this season.

Xavier says goodbye to James Farr and Jalen Reynolds in the frontcourt, players who combined to average better than 20 points and 14 rebounds in 2015–2016.

Each played about 20 minutes a game.

“He was behind a couple of guys who were as good as anybody in the BIG EAST,” Mack says. “He knows he has a huge opportunity. But he didn’t just wait his turn. He put in the time.”

O’Mara huddled with Matt Jennings, Xavier’s head strength and conditioning coach, right after the season to get a plan to improve O’Mara’s fitness level. “He gave me a bunch of stuff: treadmill, the skier, the rower,” O’Mara says. O’Mara was a faithful pupil, on cardio equipment and in the weight room, and even adopted the Insanity 60-day workout for good measure,

SIGNS OF LOVE

WHEN IT CAME TIME FOR SEAN O’Mara to fulfill his language requirement at Xavier, he didn’t opt for a rehash of a foreign language he’d taken in high school. The junior from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, had something different—and for his family, more meaningful—in mind.

O’Mara took two courses in American Sign Language to be able to better communicate with two cousins who are hearing-impaired, he says.

“They’re not deaf, but their hearing is pretty bad,” O’Mara says. “They know [ASL] and my mom does, too. I’d like to be able to talk to them more.”

O’Mara says students mostly worked with partners, practicing signs back and forth and shooting video of it. He said he was a little lost at first, but gradually grew more comfortable.

“When we started, I think I knew [the sign for] ‘more’; my mom taught that to me,” he says. “The first week I was watching vocabulary videos, and I remember thinking, ‘I think I may have gotten myself in over my head.’ Visual learning is probably easier for most people. You see people do it and it clicks immediately. It’s really not as difficult as it looks.”

• INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION: “The coaches are

always right next to you. I was surprised.

For a camp that has as much notoriety as that one…you really get a lot of individual coaching. In a matter of two weeks, I had become a lot closer with coaches to the point that if I asked them to get up extra shots, they’d work with me. In the morning, there were more guys, but honestly the groups never got bigger than 20 people. In the afternoon they’d break it down by age group and skill level. There were kids all the way down to [middle] school level. And Lucas didn’t treat them any differently than he treated any of us.

You could see that some of these kids were pretty good, too. He’d throw an eighth-grader in with college guys every once in a while to see how he did.”

Lucas, who has since joined the Hous-

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ton Rockets staff as an assistant coach in charge of player development, counts among his player-development alumni such talents as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Andre Iguodala, DeAndre Jordan, Patrick Beverly, Tristan Thompson, and former Xavier standout James Posey, among many others. “The competition speaks for itself,” O’Mara says.

“It’s a great idea, but it’s not cheap,” Mack says. “You’re going to go down there and get to play with talented players and great instructors, and you’re going to come out of it in great shape. Sean really took advantage of his time there.”

O’Mara, listed at 247 pounds last season, says he was around 10 percent body fat by the time it ended in March. By midsummer, he was down to 8½ percent body fat, with a goal of 6 percent, and had shed 15 pounds. He overhauled his diet as well,

drinking plain water and eating plenty of chicken and fish, even turkey burgers instead of beef.

“That part has definitely been difficult, but the more you do it the easier it becomes,” O’Mara says. “Your body gets used to certain foods. I went on a family trip between summer sessions, and everybody was getting these big, fried meals; I look at a menu now and find I only want certain things anyway. Good things, based on how you’ve been treating your body.”

For O’Mara, it’s all part of the same plan: Turning all the offseason time he’s invested into more time on the court.

“I don’t want my physical conditioning to be any reason for me not to be on the floor this year,” O’Mara says. “Whether it’s 30 minutes a game, 20 minutes a game, whatever, I don’t want to come out because I’m tired.”

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P H OT O G R A P H B Y T K

LOFTY GOALS Zachary Polk isn’t shy about letting you know his goal of competing in the Olympics. “I am going where the Lord takes me …” he says.

BY // JOHN KIESEWETTER PHOTOGRAPHS BY // DAVID DERMER & GLENN HARTONG

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REACHING FOR THE SKY TRACK STAR ZACHARY POLK HAS ALREADY SET TWO SCHOOL RECORDS, AND HE HAS HIS SIGHTS ON MORE.

PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID DERMER

P H OT O G R A P H B Y T K

LIKE SO MANY BOYS, ZACHARY POLK LOVED TO JUMP AND SEE what he could touch.

The top of a doorway. A flag hanging from the ceiling at school.

As a fourth grader at Hawken School in suburban Cleveland, his teacher realized that young Zachary had an unusual gift during indoor physical education classes. When she asked kids to skip down a school hallway as high as they could, “my head would always be hitting the banners hanging down from the ceiling,” says Polk, 21, a junior on Xavier University’s track team. “My teacher would say, ‘We’ll have to move Zach to another area, because he’s hitting his head.’ ” Dared by his eighth-grade classmates to touch a school banner 11 feet off the ground, he “jumped up, and grabbed it, and pulled down the whole thing,” he recalls.

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set two state records for the small high school his junior year—long jump and high jump—after transferring from Hawken. Senior year he set four South Carolina high school records—long jump, high jump, and the 100- and 200-meter dashes. He was honored as the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) athlete of the year.

And did we mention he played high school football and basketball, too?

And was a wide receiver on the Eagles 2012 2-A state championship football team?

The Eagles football and track coach Tommy Lewis asked him to suit up for football—something Polk had never done—when he arrived from Cleveland.

Lewis “put me at tight end to confuse the other team,” Polk says. “People lining up against me couldn’t cover me.” In his only season, the lanky 6-foot junior returned four kick-offs, one for a touch-

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PHOTOGRAPH BY GLENN HARTONG

NOW THE CLEVELAND NATIVE is reaching new heights at Xavier, setting the school indoor and outdoor long jump records and closing in on XU’s outdoor high jump mark.

In his first long jump as a freshman, Polk set the Xavier indoor record at 6.95 meters. The following spring he set the school outdoor mark at the 2015 BIG EAST Championships at 7.29 meters. Earlier this year, as a sophomore, he broke both records.

He jumped 7.23 meters in January at Indiana University’s Gladstein Invitational.

Four months later, he broke his outdoor record with a 7.36-meter jump at the BIG EAST Championships. He was Xavier’s star of the meet, winning five medals: four silver (long jump, high jump, 100-meter dash, and 4x100-meter relay) and a bronze (200-meter dash). Only twice has that been done in the BIG EAST championships, says a Xavier athletic spokesman.

By the time he graduates with a psychology degree in 2018, Polk could be “one of the most decorated track and field athletes” in Xavier history, says coach Ryan Orner, in his fifth year as head cross country and track coach. Polk’s second- and third-place finishes in the BIG EAST meet May 14 earned 37 of the 52 points (71 percent) scored by Xavier, which placed sixth.

The amazing thing about Polk, says track co-captain Matt Bryant, was that he silvered in the high jump, an event he had competed in only three or four times last season, after a spurof-the-moment request from Orner to pick up points.

“I jumped at the chance,” Polk says. “If you know me, you know I love a challenge. I strive under pressure. And I love the team. The success of my team means more to me than my success. You see how hard the guys train; it pushes me to do better.”

Bryant calls Polk “a natural. He has the ability to jump high without practicing. He just goes out and does it. His vertical leap is insane.”

Bryant, a senior from Columbus, was the first student to meet Polk, giving him a campus tour during Polk’s senior year at South Carolina’s Hilton Head Christian Academy. Polk

PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID DERMER

QUITE A COLLECTION Zachary Polk, long jumping (above), shows off his 13 BIG EAST Conference medals from indoor and outdoor championship meets.

down, and in the championship game caught three passes for 44 yards.

“He could run, he could jump, and he had this long, explosive body,” says Lewis, now a Florida state champion football coach at Victory Christian Academy in Lakeland. “He spent the first half learning the game, but the second half of the season we sort of had a secret weapon.”

Polk enjoyed playing two seasons of basketball because he and younger brother Josh were both starters. “I couldn’t shoot well, but I could dunk,” he says. “I was the ‘show guy.’ I’d dive on the floor for the ball and block a shot by swatting it into the stands. Whatever the team needed.”

Track wasn’t love at first sight for Polk. He cried when his father Norris Polk signed him up for AAU track in sixth grade.

“Let me tell you, I didn’t want to run AAU track,” Polk says. “Why? He told me it would hurt. And it did! At first it was not fun. I was brand new to track. I

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ran on raw talent. I didn’t know my potential. The only person who saw that was my dad. After a few months, I started to enjoy it. I could see the end goal, even in sixth grade.”

His attitude did a 180 by eighth grade, when his dad took him to the Spire Institute, the Olympic training facility in Geneva, Ohio, run by Charlie Powell, the legendary former Penn coach.

“He loved to learn,” Powell recalls.

“He said, ‘I want to be a track star.’ ” And he had the work ethic and dedication to achieve his dream. “He’s a giant sponge, wanting to learn everything.

Early on, he was into the long jump. But as he got further and further, he said sprinting could be a lot of fun, too.”

Powell noted that excelling in sprinting and jumping is not that unusual; Carl Lewis won Olympic gold for the long jump and/or sprinting at the 1984, ’88, ’92, and ’96 summer games.

After watching the 2016 Rio Olympics on TV, Polk admits he’d “be lying to say I didn’t want to run in the Olympics. But I can only control what I can control.

I’m going to where the Lord takes me— whether that’s competing in the Olympics or working as a sports psychologist.”

In the short run, Orner’s goal for Polk as he trains for the indoor season beginning in December is making it into the NCAA’s first-round long jump competition next spring. In 2018, Orner wants Polk to make the NCAA long jump finals in Eugene, Oregon. That’s not out of Polk’s reach, says Spire’s Powell.

“He’s only been doing this five or six years. Sometimes it takes up to eight years to develop, so he has a long way to go.

He’s a baby. A neophyte,” Powell says.

Co-captain Bryant says Polk, a close friend, hasn’t let success go to his head.

“He’s the same as when I first met him.

He hasn’t changed. It turned out great,” Bryant says.

They watch movies or play video games together in Polk’s commons

apartment. Polk also can be seen occasionally at Skyline Chili, Frisch’s Big Boy, and Montgomery Inn. When he goes to the original Montgomery Inn in Montgomery, he likes to look at the autographed football, baseball, and basketball jerseys filling the walls. He hasn’t seen a track uniform yet.

“People point that out to me,” Polk says. “I just tell everyone, ‘Just wait on it.

One of these days!’ I love a challenge. I love setting goals.”

ZACH’S FEATS ZACHARY POLK’S XAVIER UNIVERSITY RECORDS AND NEAR RECORDS IN METERS AND IN FEET: Long jump (Indoor) 7.23 meters, or 23 feet 8.75 inches, Jan. 23, 2016 Long jump (Outdoor) 7.36 meters, or 24 feet 1.76, inches, BIG EAST Championships, May 14, 2016 High jump (Outdoor) .02 meters from Xavier record of 2.04 meters (6 feet 7.52 inches), set in 2014 by John Kolibab, now Polk’s coach.

Polk jumped 2.02 meters (6 feet 8.31 inches), less than ¾ of an inch from Kolibab’s mark, winning the silver medal at the BIG EAST Championships.

100-meter dash (Outdoor) One-tenth of a second from Xavier’s record of 10.58, set at the A-10 Outdoor Championship in 2011

by Nick Williams. Polk ran 10.68, winning silver at the BIG EAST Championships. “I want to get that [record] next year,” Polk says.

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NBA AUDITIONS

P H OT O G R A P H B Y T K

Musketeers guard Trevon Bluiett worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

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TREVON BLUIETT TESTING THE WATERS

P H OT O G R A P H (L E F T ) B Y G R E G R U S T

THIS PAST SPRING, TREVON BLUIETT DECLARED FOR THE NBA DRAFT. WHAT HE LEARNED FROM THE EXPERIENCE COULD HELP HIM—AND OTHER XAVIER PLAYERS— PREP FOR THE PROS. BY // RORY GLYNN

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TREVON BLUIETT KNEW THE BIG EAST CONFERENCE LIKED HIM. He spent five weeks on the conference honor roll in his sophomore season, two more as player of the week, and was named first-team all-conference for both the regular season and the BIG EAST tournament.

Trevon Bluiett knew Xavier University loved him. He scored 15.1 points a game last season, best on the 28–6 Musketeers, and ranked among BIG EAST leaders in scoring and 3-point shooting. He was cho-

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sen a third-team All-American by USA Today, the first XU player to receive recognition of that magnitude since Tu Holloway four years earlier.

But Bluiett, like many players of his age and ability, was curious: What did NBA teams think about him?

So Bluiett took advantage of a firstyear rule allowing underclassmen to declare for the NBA draft and—provided they did not hire an agent—remain in long enough to work out for and receive evaluations from NBA teams up to and including the league combine. This year the deadline to withdraw from the draft and return to school was 10 days after the combine, or May 25, a month later than the year before.

While Bluiett wasn’t invited to the

combine, he did take advantage of opportunities to work out with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. And when it was over, he weighed the evaluations he’d been given, decided to withdraw his name from draft consideration, and announced he’d return to Xavier for his junior season.

“I wanted to throw my name out there just to see what NBA teams thought of me,” Bluiett says. “I knew it was a win-win situation. I wasn’t hiring a representative so I knew coming back was always going to be an option.”

Though he didn’t stay in the draft pool, Bluiett says he was better for dipping a toe in the water. “It was a great chance to get feedback, and everybody told me what I need to work on,” he says.

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P H OTO G R A P H S (C LO C K W I S E F R O M L E F T ) BY G R E G R U S T, F R A N K V I C T O R E S , D O U G C O C H R A N

CLUB AWAITS Trevon Bluiett has scored 920 points (and averaged 13 ppg) in his first two seasons at Xavier. He’s 80 shy of joining the list of 1,000-point scorers and is on pace to be among the top five or six scorers in school history.

HERE IS HOW BLUIETT SPENT (PART OF) HIS SUMMER VACATION:

FIRST STOP: MINNESOTA WHO WORKED OUT, TOO: Ben Bentil,

Providence; Abdul-Malik Abu, North Carolina State WHO WATCHED: New Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau TREVON’S TAKE: “Mostly we just worked out for their NBA scouts and trainers. They had a total of six of us: two guards, two wings, and two bigs. It went over an hour, maybe an hour and a half. We played a lot of 3-on-3 full court.

I think they wanted to get us tired to see how we played when we were tired.”

SECOND STOP: BOSTON WHO WORKED OUT, TOO: Malik Pope, San Diego State; Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin; Zhou Qi, China WHO WATCHED: Danny Ainge, Celtics president of basketball operations TREVON’S TAKE: “Danny Ainge talked to my family for a while. The only thing that was really different [from the Minnesota workout] was that they did a conditioning test at the very end of the workout.

They put three minutes on the clock and you had to see how many down-and-backs you could run. [Ainge] said I shot the ball at a high level and I needed to work on my ball-handling and toning my body up.”

THIRD STOP: LOS ANGELES LAKERS WHO WORKED OUT, TOO: Jalen Reynolds, former Xavier forward WHO DIDN’T WATCH: New Lakers head coach Luke Walton. Walton was in limbo—he agreed to be the Lakers’ next coach in late April, but stayed on as a Golden State Warriors assistant through the NBA Finals deep into June—so GM Mitch Kupchak reportedly taped workouts so Walton could review.

TREVON’S TAKE: “I only had one day of rest [after the Boston workout]. Theirs was very similar, but without the conditioning test. A lot of 3-on-3, full-court.

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But I knew what to expect by then. A lot of the NBA stuff seems pretty similar.”

BENEFITS OF EXPERIENCE “They get to have an up-close-and-personal look at the process, to do NBA drills, go up against NBA draft picks, even just handle an NBA ball,” Xavier coach Chris Mack says. “It’s not just where you are on draft boards; you get to physically see how you stack up. And you can see where you need to sharpen your saw.”

For Bluiett, that includes parts of his game that aren’t necessarily honed working by yourself in a gym or a weight room.

“The next step needs to be a leadership role,” Mack says.

“Juniors and seniors tend to run the team. They need to be the voice of the team, and the voice needs to come from the front and not the back. Trevon needs to be more vocal and vested, like guys like Matt Stainbrook and Dee Davis were for him when he was younger.”

Bluiett was among more than 100 underclassmen to test the NBA draft waters this spring; though 57 pulled back, 59 were still eligible on draft day. Bentil, a forward from Providence who was on the All–BIG EAST first team with Bluiett, was chosen in the second round by the Celtics. “I think it helped more players make sounder decisions,” BIG EAST associate commissioner Stu Jackson says, “but the downside is you had more players declaring.” And in the first year, a record 30 underclassmen went undrafted.

“It’s so tough to get through the eye of the needle that is the NBA,” Mack says. “I’m not sure many guys understand how truly elite you have to be in terms of skill set, size, and athleticism. We’ve had a lot of great players come through here, and there’s only a finite number who make that next step.”

Bluiett says he’s better for the experience. “I think it benefits players a lot as far as being able to pinpoint what we need to do. I think I have a better idea of what I need to work on to get there.

“One thing I know from talking to coaches is they like players that win. So I know one thing that will benefit me and benefit us as a team, and that’s a lot of winning.”

“IT’S SO TOUGH TO GET THROUGH THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE THAT IS THE NBA.” — XAVIER COACH CHRIS MACK

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T I M E

THE BIG EAST CAN BE A TOUGH CONFERENCE TO PLAY IN. DOES THAT EXPLAIN THE NUMBER OF TECHNICAL FOULS CALLED? BY // RORY GLYNN

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STU JACKSON WAS QUITE FAMILIAR with the intensity of big-time basketball well before he joined the BIG EAST Conference. He coached the defensiveminded New York Knicks of Patrick Ewing and Mark Jackson. He coached the Wisconsin Badgers in the black-and-blue Big Ten. And as NBA director of operations, he spent 13 seasons weighing when tempers and transgressions required fines and suspensions.

Then Jackson joined the BIG EAST as associate commissioner in 2014.

“I remember this particular game I attended,” Jackson says, without naming the teams involved. “From the opening tip, there was a level of aggression between players: players chirping amongst one another on defense, players talking to their opponents. Both coaches were up and active. And this is all with the score 0–0.

“I called John Cahill and said, ‘John, I was not ready for this.’ There was just such a heightened intensity.”

Cahill, BIG EAST supervisor of offi-

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cials, says: “Every night, every possession is contested from end to end. I’ve had the privilege to be an official in the BIG EAST for 25 years, and I just finished my third year as supervisor. It was like that when I started. It’s like that today.”

At its best, BIG EAST basketball has never been for the faint of heart. In a conference where every shot is challenged, every rebound battled, and every 50-50 ball given 100 percent, that sort of heightened intensity requires extra vigilance to make sure things don’t get out of hand.

So, should it be a surprise that there are more technical fouls called in the BIG EAST Conference than in its peer leagues?

Last season, there were 53 technical fouls whistled during BIG EAST men’s basketball conference games. Compare that with 23 in the Big Ten, 16 in Pac-10 games, and just eight in Atlantic Coast Conference games. The Big 12 Conference had 42 technicals called in league games last season— still 11 below the BIG EAST. What does that say about BIG EAST basketball?

REPUTATIONS: Over his three-year Xavier

career, former Musketeer Jalen Reynolds was assessed 18 technical fouls—including six last season, tops in the BIG EAST. In Mack’s seven seasons as Xavier head coach, no other Musketeer accumulated more than five technicals in a career. “Let’s face it, Jalen was a combustible player,” Mack says, “but he was much tougher to deal with from an officiating standpoint two years ago. There were a couple of times last year where a guy without that type of reputation, you wouldn’t have gone to the monitor, but they did.”

DOUBLE TECHNICALS: Of the 53 technical fouls called in games involving BIG EAST teams last season, 22 (41 percent) occurred when players from each team were assessed a technical. “To me, that doesn’t solve the problem,” Mack says. “It’s like offsetting penalties in football.” Counters Cahill: “Say Player A pushes Player B. Player B might not push back, but maybe he calls

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P H OT O G R A P H B Y G R E G R U S T

Former Musketeer Jalen Reynolds (1) was under the watchful eye of officials as he had 18 technical fouls in his college career—the most for Xavier in the Chris Mack era.

“I think it highlights the level of competitiveness, the aggression, dare I say, the grit of our players,” Jackson says. “I don’t want to sound stereotypical, but much of the success of this conference was built on the backs of student-athletes from large city markets who just play a different kind of basketball than players might play in other parts of the country.”

But all those techs are not exactly a point of pride, either for the league or its schools.

“We talk about it all the time. It comes up at every [BIG EAST] meeting,” Xavier coach Chris Mack says. “They bring up the data, and we voice our concerns. We’re all rational people, and in the end we all want less technicals.”

In four Atlantic 10 seasons with Mack as head coach, Xavier had as many as nine technical fouls called in a season just one time, and only three techs in its last A-10 season, 2012–13. In three seasons in the BIG EAST, Xavier had as few as nine technicals only once, in 2013–14. The Musketeers were called for 16 technicals two seasons ago and 15 last season.

Mack has some theories behind the rising T count.

him a name that most don’t hear (but officials do). The player who isn’t the instigator doesn’t always just walk away.”

ONE BENCH T DESERVES ANOTHER: Because

officials strive to be even-handed, sometimes players aren’t the only ones susceptible to being T’d up. Mack received one technical foul last season: “Butler or Cincinnati,” he says. Told it was against the Bearcats, Mack recalls, “Mick [Cronin, UC’s coach] had already gotten one. And sometimes when that happens, they get rabbit ears toward your bench.”

Jackson says BIG EAST officials “have a high level of integrity, they’re talented play-callers, and they care,” and said he believes they have a good working relationship with conference coaches.

“There’s a level of familiarity in terms of what each expects of the other,” Jackson says. “And to our coaches’ credit: When they are verbally active or making motions on the sidelines, once it happens, it’s over. It doesn’t carry on throughout the game. Our officials know that and they appreciate it.”

Mack agrees good officials work BIG EAST games, but adds, “You’re going to mesh with certain personalities better than others. That’s not necessarily basketball; that’s humanity. You want to make sure you get that relationship right so you don’t go into a game at a disadvantage.

“I try to have a short memory with every official. But you see the same guys so many times that it’s not always the easiest thing to do.”

Cahill visits each program in the preseason to watch a practice and address

both coaches and players. “I go over any rules changes, points of emphasis and general sportsmanship,” he says. “I think it’s good for everybody to start on the same page.”

One of the interesting aspects of the BIG EAST’s big number of technicals is the relatively small number called in the ACC, especially given the crossover of officials between the two conferences. Last season, 28 of 41 BIG EAST officials also worked ACC games. Beginning this season, the BIG EAST and ACC, along with the Atlantic 10 and Colonial Athletic Association, will form an alliance that Cahill believes will not only reduce officials’ travel but also better standardize their training and interpretation of rules, and keep teams from seeing the same faces every week.

Cahill agrees with Jackson that the BIG EAST has always been home to fiercely competitive players, but adds, “Coaches instill a passion for the game, and sometimes the passion goes a little far. I would say the ACC doesn’t rise to that level as frequently, but I don’t have anything to put my fi nger on and say this is the single reason why.

“I will say I have been instructed by our commissioner and by the NCAA and by our school presidents to make sure sportsmanship is enforced, and we pass that along to the players and coaches,” Cahill says.

“The technical foul is the mechanism we have to do that. And players and coaches are told if they step outside the lines, they’re going to get whacked. And to my guys’ credit, you will get whacked.”

XAVIER TECHNICAL FOULS (CHRIS MACK ERA) A-10 2009–2010: 5 2010–2011: 8 2011–2012: 9 2012–2013: 3

BIG EAST 2013–2014: 9 2014–2015: 16 2015–2016: 15

BREAKDOWN 18 Jalen Reynolds 13 Team 5 Mark Lyons, J.P. Macura 4 Justin Martin 3 Myles Davis, James Farr,

Tu Holloway, Jamel McLean 2 Travis Taylor 1 Semaj Christon, J.Crawford, Kenny Frease, Jeff Robinson, Matt Stainbrook, Edmond Sumner

65 TOTAL

TEAM TECHNICAL FOULS (CHRIS MACK ERA) 2009–2010: • Jan. 3, 2010 vs. Wake Forest (L, away) • Feb. 6, 2010 vs. Dayton (L, away)

2010–2011: • Jan. 12, 2011 vs. Massachusetts (W, home)

2011–2012: • Dec. 10, 2011 vs. UC (W, home) • Dec. 23, 2011 vs. Hawaii (L, away) • Jan. 25, 2012 vs. St. Louis (L, home) • Feb. 18, 2012 vs. Dayton (W, home) • Feb. 28, 2012 vs. St. Louis (L, away)

2012–2013: • March 2, 2013 vs. Massachusetts (L, home)

2013–2014:

TECHNICAL FOULS BY CONFERENCE BIG 12 BIG EAST BIG TEN

• March 14, 2014 vs. Creighton (L, away)

2015–2016

2014–2015

2013–2014

TOTALS

42 53 23

37 53 29

44 34 34

123 140 86

2014–2015: • Dec. 6, 2014 vs. Alabama (W, home) • Feb. 21, 2015 vs. Butler (W, home)

2015–2016: • Dec. 12, 2015 vs. UC (W, home)

BREAKDOWN * Xavier Nation requested technical fouls information from each BCS conference.

Those not listed either did not respond or did not compile the information.

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6–7 RECORD • 8 HOME • 5 AWAY

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Former Xavier men’s basketball walk-on Matt Terpening confers with Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano.

SCOUT’S HONOR MATT TERPENING, NOW AN NFL SCOUT, IS FOREVER LOYAL TO HIS ALMA MATER. BY RODNEY McKISSIC

I

IN THE EARLY 1990S, XAVIER UNIVERSITY’S MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM USED THE gym at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis in preparation for an NCAA Tournament game. Matt Terpening, a 14-year-old freshman at Cathedral, watched the Musketeers in awe.

He saw how coach Pete Gillen and his players ran through drills with precision, and he was immediately hooked. At the time, Cathedral was a bit of a feeder school for Xavier, sending an estimated 15 to 20 students to Cincinnati annually. Terpening couldn’t wait until he was next.

“There was something about them,” Terpening remembers, “that was super, super cool.”

Terpening attended Xavier University, was a walk-on basketball player during his junior and senior seasons in 1997 and ’98 and graduated with a degree in sports management. He is now assistant director of college scouting for the Indianapolis Colts, where he helped build

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the team into a Super Bowl winner in 2007 and had a nice sideline view of legendary quarterback Peyton Manning.

But in some ways Terpening is still that 14-year-old boy at Cathedral—or maybe even the young 20-year-old trading elbows with Torraye Braggs and James Posey during practice at Schmidt Fieldhouse. His memories of Xavier are enduring.

“Playing for Xavier was like a dream come true,” Terpening says. “It sounds kind of phony but it’s true. There’s a spiritual connection that the school has for students and alumni and there’s tremendous loyalty. It’s not like a normal school. There’s so much school spirit and you really don’t understand unless you’re on that campus or around it.

It’s a small school, but it touches people everywhere. Xavier Nation is everywhere.”

Terpening should know, considering his job has taken him all over the country and although he fought it initially, NFL scouting is a natural fit. His father, Bob, was a longtime Colts executive and Terpening was a one-time ball boy for the Colts in high school and a summer intern in the public relations office prior to his senior year at Xavier.

After graduation in 1998, Terpening wanted to be a basketball coach, but thenColts president Bill Polian was looking for a football operations intern and sought Terpening. He’s been with the organization since, heading into his 19th season.

“I’ve been lucky enough to grow with the organization because of my dad,” Terpening says. “I had mixed emotions if that’s what I wanted to do, but I started in that position and it kind of escalated.”

He did everything from picking players up at the airport to making coffee and food runs. Two years later, Terpening was an area scout, which he did for 13 years, and most recently he was the Colts national scout with a focus on the Midwest. He was elevated to his current position in May. “I’m in the NFL and every year I try and do the best job that I can do,” Terpening says. “My goal is like when I was at Xavier: Give my best effort, dial in and focus, and live in the moment.”

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P H OT O G R A P H B Y M AT T B OW E N / I N D I A N A P O L I S C O LT S

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P H OT O G R A P H B Y T K

NAVIGATION HERE

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Nicole Like turned in her sneakers and gym shorts to help Hospice patients and their family members.

LEADING THE WAY

T

THERE ARE TIMES WHEN NICOLE LIKE MISSES BEING A COLLEGE BASKETBALL coach, even those pesky hand-written notes to recruits, which could be painstaking. But even as she helped mold the Xavier University women’s basketball program, Like had her eye on a second career as a registered nurse.

“When I was coaching, I thought there was no better job in the world,” says the 1995 Xavier graduate, who is now manager of patient registration and admissions at Hospice of Cincinnati. “I was coaching for Xavier University, I played there, it was home. But when I came to Hospice, it was more of an emotional contact.”

Like started 63 games for the Musketeers and averaged 5.5 points and 3.2 assists in four seasons. Her 262 career assists ranked 10th in school history at the time. After graduation, Like worked for four years as an assistant girls’ basketball coach at Milford High School in Cincinnati and one season at Miami University before joining Kevin McGuff’s staff at Xavier in 2003.

Like put herself through nursing school even as an assistant coach while helping guide Xavier to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2006 to 2011.

“The hours of coaching on top of going to nursing school full-time was really, really rigorous and demanding,” she says. “When it was all said and done I said, ‘OK, I have to get a real job now,’ and I decided to work for Children’s Hospital.”

When McGuff left Xavier for Washington in 2011, Like decided to pursue her nursing career full-time.

“It was a difficult decision because for so many years, I was able to do both,” she says. “As you get older your body shuts down and you’re not able to work 105 hours a week.”

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She applied for a job at Hospice of Cincinnati as a charge nurse, then worked as a floor nurse at Hospice of Cincinnati Blue Ash for two years. In August 2015 she was promoted to manager of the 60-person patient and registration admissions team, and recently she was given the People Pillar Award for high employee engagement scores in all of Hospice of Cincinnati and TriHealth.

“We’re the first voice of family and patients whether they are calling in for a loved one or if a physician calls in; we cover pretty much every hospital in the tristate area,” Like says. “We’re the first voice and the first ear of Hospice of Cincinnati.”

Like says her role as a coach at Xavier helps her tremendously in her current position.

“I’m coaching and assisting both families, patients, and my team, just in a different capacity,” she says. “Unfortunately it’s not on the basketball court anymore, but I still get to do a little coaching.”

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P H OT O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y H O S P I C E O F C I N C I N N AT I

NICOLE LIKE IS NO LONGER A COACH, BUT SHE’S STILL IN CHARGE OF A TEAM. BY RODNEY McKISSIC

NAVIGATION HERE

ALL FOR ONE FUND SPOTLIGHT: ANDREW NIXON

ANDREW NIXON was a Xavier swimmer who graduated in 2000, married the captain of the 2002 women’s swim team and now is program manager at Mercy Health in Cincinnati. He is a season-ticket holder who enjoys bringing his 8-year-old twins to Musketeer volleyball, soccer and basketball games.

TALK ABOUT YOUR CONNECTION TO XAVIER FOLLOWING GRADUATION? WHAT MADE YOU STAY ENGAGED? I stayed connect-

ed to Xavier and the swim team after graduation by staying in touch with the coaches and fellow students. The Xavier family runs deep, so I was still active in talking with the coaches after I graduated.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO GIVE BACK AS A MEMBER OF THE ALL FOR ONE FUND?

I know that every time I give back and donate, the Xavier programs are moving forward in a very competitive league and environment. Budgets have always been tight. As an alumni, if I can help the teams or my team out by helping offset hotel or food costs, I know they can stretch their dollars for equipment or accommodations to help today’s athletes in ways that were unthinkable in the 1990s.

The swim teams train in Florida for two weeks over Christmas break each year. I believe I was on the first team to actually fly down to Florida. We normally used a bus service from Cincinnati to

Naples. It is a 24-hour bus ride, with a few stops.

What a huge difference it made to stop taking a bus and to fly down to Florida. Now I don’t even think it’s really an option for the teams to drive down. What a huge improvement for the team.

Knowing that donations and gifts helped upgrade the program impacted me to continue to give back. Each team has a different level they are currently at, and knowing that I can help them move up to another level is very important to me.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING XAVIER ATHLETICS? It means

that I’m helping support students who need the best to compete at the top levels within the NCAA. I feel that as an alumni, it’s the best way for me to support my team and athletics.

I can no longer score any points or help coach any athletes, but I hope my donations help the coaches generate the best out of each athlete.

P H OT O G R A P H B Y T K

WHY ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT XAVIER? I enjoyed my time at Xavier, it was

the perfect choice for me for my collegiate career for academics and swimming. The family aspects appealed to me and it’s kept me close to the school and programs.

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OUTLOOK

SEASON PREVIEWS

XAVIER UNIVERSITY HAS APPROXIMATELY 280 STUDENT-ATHLETES PARTICIPATING IN 18 SPORTS DURING THE 2016–2017 ACADEMIC YEAR. HERE IS THE OUTLOOK FOR EACH TEAM.

BASEBALL COACH: Scott Googins (Ohio Wesleyan ’92), 12th season OUTLOOK: Following a difficult nonconference schedule, the Musketeers finished the season winning 18 of their final 22—including BIG EAST regular season and tournament titles. Placed in the Nashville Regional for the NCAA Tournament, the Musketeers continued a sto-

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rybook season with a 15—1 win over host Vanderbilt. XU fell in game two against eventual regional champ UC Santa Barbara, but rebounded against Washington to move onto a regional final for the first time in program history. A loss to UCSB in the regional final ended the Musketeers season, but five XU players were voted to the NCAA All-Regional Team. Catcher Dan Rizzie, second baseman Chris Givin, third baseman Rylan Bannon, outfielder Matt Fallon,

and designated hitter David Morton all represented Xavier.

The Musketeers ended the season with 32 wins, which tied for the second-most in school history.

NOTEWORTHY: The Musketeers lose a talented senior class in Dan Rizzie, Andre Jernigan, and David Morton.

Jernigan was the program’s first-ever BIG EAST Player of the Year. Rizzie and Jernigan have since moved on to the next level and were

drafted by Major League Baseball teams. Rizzie was a 13th-round selection by the New York Mets and Jernigan was taken in the 14th round by the Minnesota Twins.

Head coach Scott Googins also made history in 2016, becoming the all-time winningest baseball coach at Xavier. Despite losing three senior starters, Xavier returns six to the diamond including All—BIG EAST first team members Nate Soria and Rylan Bannon.

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P H OT O G R A P H B Y D O U G C O C H R A N

Xavier men’s cross country runners take off at the start of the Queen City Invitational in West Chester. The Musketeers men finished third, and the women finished fifth.

OUTLOOK

BASKETBALL MEN’S COACH: Chris Mack (Xavier ’92), eighth season OUTLOOK: Coach Mack, recipient of three separate National Coach of the Year (USBWA, CBS Sports, Basketball Times) awards last season, will look to lead Xavier to another high seed in the NCAA Tournament in his eighth season. The PuertoRico Tip-Off, now at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, will be played on the same court Xavier won the AdvoCare Invitational during the 2015–16 season.

The Musketeers have a tough nonconference stretch early in December (at Baylor, at Colorado, vs. Utah) before BIG EAST play starts on Dec. 28 at home against Providence.

Cintas Center will welcome defending national champion Villanova on Feb. 11.

P H OT O G R A P H B Y B A R T YO U N G / U S A B A S K E T B A L L

NOTEWORTHY: The Musketeers added a pair of highly touted freshmen to the squad.

Quentin Goodin and Tyrique

Jones (both 4 stars per Rivals. com) both join the Musketeers.

WOMEN’S COACH: Brian Neal (Northern Kentucky ’91), fourth season OUTLOOK: The Musketeers posted their second straight season with 17 or more wins last year. Xavier opens the year once again with the Lauren Hill Tipoff Classic when the Musketeers play Tennessee State.

BIG EAST play begins when the women travel to Providence on Dec. 28.

NOTEWORTHY: The Musketeers add three newcomers to the roster this year to pair with 10 upperclassmen.

Returning starters include seniors Raeshaun Gaffney, Maddison Blackwell, and Leah Schaefer.

CROSS COUNTRY MEN’S COACH: Ryan Orner (Towson ’99), fifth season

OUTLOOK: The men’s team returns four of its top five finishers from the 2015 BIG EAST Championships. Returners Garrett Knapik and Aaron Peterson posted the No. 9 and No. 10 fastest 8K times in school history at the championship meet. The men also return sophomores Grayson Jenkins and Charles Korodi, who each had strong freshmen seasons.

NOTEWORTHY: Senior Grant Parrelli looks to bounce back from a season-long injury in 2015 to help the Musketeers improve on a seventh place finish at the 2015 BIG EAST Championships.

WOMEN’S COACH: Ryan Orner (Towson ’99), fifth season OUTLOOK: Xavier returns two of its top-five finishers from the BIG EAST Championships in all-conference selections Madeline Britton and Delainey Burnett. Britton’s 6K time of 20:29.10 at the championship meet ranks third in school history. All told, Xavier posted nearly half of the top

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6K times in school history last year—including the top three.

The Musketeers finished the 2015 season with a 10th place finish (out of 31 teams) at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, tying their all-time highest regional finish.

NOTEWORTHY: Women’s cross country was ranked No. 10 in the preseason U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Great Lakes Region to start the season. The Musketeers finished fourth at the BIG EAST Championships last year—their highest finish since joining the conference in 2013, finishing behind Providence, Georgetown, and Villanova—which all entered the meet ranked in the top 30 nationally.

GOLF MEN’S COACH: Brian McCants, (Ferris State ’94), first season OUTLOOK: Head coach Brian McCants begins his first season at Xavier, replacing long-time head coach Doug Steiner, who retired after the spring season. The Musketeers return six players from last season’s team, which captured the first team title for Xavier since 2014 at the Pinehurst Intercollegiate this past March. Of the six returners, senior David Long has the lowest career scoring average for the Musketeers at 75.04, dating back to his days at Memphis.

NOTEWORTHY: The Musketeers have a strong veteran presence on this year’s squad with three seniors. Fox Morrissey, David Long, and Matt Wetterich each will look to take over the number one position on this year’s team.

A promising underclassman, sophomore Eduardo Rivera Nicholls, will also be getting his first action in a Xavier polo this fall.

Xavier coach Chris Mack talks with Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim during training camp for the 2016 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team. Mack served as court coach in June at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Boeheim is chair of the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee.

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WOMEN’S COACH: Breanna Patz (Xavier ’13), second season

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OUTLOOK

Xavier junior Skylar Groth celebrates with her teammates after scoring the game-winning goal with less than 11 seconds left as Xavier defeats Northern Kentucky University with a 2–1 victory on Sept. 6. Groth’s goal capped a Musketeers comeback from a 1–0 deficit.

NOTEWORTHY: Freshman Mikayla Fitzpatrick comes to the Xavier golf program with a very decorated high school career. Fitzpatrick attended Xavier College Prep in Phoenix, an Arizona girl’s golf powerhouse. During her four years there, her team never lost a match and won all four state titles. Fitzpatrick’s match average for nine holes as a senior was 34.5.

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SOCCER MEN’S COACH: Andy Fleming (Marist ’97), seventh season OUTLOOK: The Musketeers proved they could beat anyone, anytime, anywhere in the 2015 season—most notably knocking off No. 1 Creighton and No. 2 Notre Dame on the road. Both victories contributed to a 12-win season. Xavier enters the 2016 season with 18 letterwinners and seven starters back, including AllBIG EAST center back Cory Brown. The Musketeers faced a typically rigorous preseason schedule traveling to college soccer powerhouses Maryland, Virginia, and Louisville.

The Musketeers are underway in BIG EAST play, 7–3–2 at

press time, looking to qualify for the league tournament for the fourth straight season.

NOTEWORTHY: With one home game under their belt, the Musketeers faced an opponent they didn’t foresee, Mother Nature. A storm caused the XU Soccer Complex to completely flood and has rendered the field unplayable since late August. In the meantime, the Musketeers have hosted home games at both the University of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky University. This year’s Crosstown match against UC took place at NKU with XU scoring four unanswered goals in the last 30 minutes to win 4–2, continuing an unbeaten streak against the Bearcats that goes back to 2010.

WOMEN’S COACH: Woody Sherwood (Xavier ’91), seventh season OUTLOOK: The Musketeers came into the 2016 season building off a 2015 season that saw the best performance for the program in the BIG EAST since joining the conference in 2013. Xavier added seven newcomers, including a pair of JUCO transfers, to a squad that returned nine starters from last season’s team, including sophomore Samantha Dewey, who was unanimously named to the BIG EAST AllFreshmen Team in 2015.

NOTEWORTHY: Xavier finished out the 2016 nonconference schedule with a record of 6–3–1, including a 3–1 win at Dayton. The victory marks the first win over the Flyers since

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OUTLOOK: Second-year head coach Breanna Patz has a lot to build on from her first year with the program after having two individual titles last season. The Musketeers return five players from last year’s squad, including seniors Rachel Johnson and Grace Howie, who come in as No. 10 and No. 5 on Xavier’s career scoring average ranks.

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OUTLOOK

2000, and the first win at Dayton since winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament championship game at Baujan Field in 1998.

SWIMMING MEN’S COACH: Brent MacDonald (Valparaiso ’03), eighth season OUTLOOK: The Musketeers look to take a fourth-straight BIG EAST Championships in February. Xavier returns nine All-BIG EAST performers from last season’s squad.

The returning Musketeers accounted for five of Xavier’s eight individual championships at last year’s championship meet. Xavier returns a pair of Musketeers who set NCAA B-Cut qualifying times at last year’s BIG EAST Championships. Graduate student Knox Hitt returns as the reigning conference champion in the 100 butterfly, setting a school-record time of 48.13, coming in under the NCAA B-Cut standard. Sophomore Michael Pettinichi swept the breaststroke events during his rookie season, setting a school record time of 2:01.89 in the 200 breast and school record and NCAA B-Cut time of 55.38 in the 100 breast.

NOTEWORTHY: 2016 Xavier graduate Luke Johanns closed out a stellar Xavier career by earning CSCAA Scholar AllAmerica Honorable mention, as well as the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award for men’s swimming.

In his career as a Musketeer, Johanns won a total of 16 BIG EAST titles, including three individual wins in both the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle.

Johanns also set an NCAA B-Cut time of 20.10 at the BIG EAST Championship.

WOMEN’S COACH: Brent MacDonald (Valparaiso ’03), eighth season OUTLOOK: The Musketeers return seven All-BIG EAST Team honorees from last year’s squad that finished third at the conference championship. Among the return-

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ees is sophomore Caroline Gaertner, who took second place in the 100 backstroke during her rookie season— marking the top finish for a Musketeer on the women’s side at the BIG EAST Championships. Xavier also added a five-member freshman class, including newcomers Riece Drew and Emily Saugstad who are the younger sisters of current Musketeers Paxtyn Drew and Mikaela Saugstad.

NOTEWORTHY: Paxtyn Drew became the first female in program history to set an NCAA B-Cut time at the 2016 BIG EAST Championships, setting a qualifying time, and a school record, in a pair of events. Drew had an NCAA B-Cut performance during the preliminary heat of the 100 backstroke, setting a time of 55.09 to qualify second before finishing third in the final.

Drew also finished third in the 200 backstroke final with a NCAA B-Cut time of 1:59.16.

TENNIS MEN’S

NOTEWORTHY: The Musketeers earned the first NCAA Tournament bid in program history, facing Kentucky in Ann Arbor as the No. 3 seed. The Musketeers earned a point at the No. 3 spot in singles. Sydney Liggins battled to a 1–1 draw in No. 1 singles and Cristina Di Lorenzo was on the verge of taking the win in No. 2 singles when UK secured a 4–1 win.

TRACK AND FIELD (INDOOR & OUTDOOR) MEN’S COACH: Ryan Orner (Towson ’99), fifth season OUTLOOK: The Musketeers set one new school record and had two athletes medal at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships.

NOTEWORTHY: Junior Zach Polk had an impressive run at the BIG EAST Outdoor championships, winning five medals over the course of two days.

Polk set a new school record for the long jump: 24'01"75.

WOMEN’S

COACH: Doug Matthews (Xavier ’09), second season

COACH: Ryan Orner (Towson ’99), fifth season

OUTLOOK: The Musketeers add two new faces to the squad that returns six players from last year’s team. Xavier earned the No. 5 seed in last years BIG EAST Championship before losing to eventual champion, No. 1-seeded St. John’s.

OUTLOOK: The Musketeers will look to improve upon a successful indoor campaign, where they set four new school records at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships. The Musketeers had two individu-

als medal at the meet, while three relay teams took the podium. Karmen Auble picked up All-BIG EAST honors at the outdoor championships, taking third in the heptathlon.

NOTEWORTHY: Junior standout Madeline Britton competed in the NCAA East Regional in Jacksonville in May, becoming the first Xavier runner to qualify for NCAA Regionals since 2014.

VOLLEYBALL COACH: Christy Pfeffenberger (Dayton ’05), second season OUTLOOK: The Musketeers return 13 players from last year’s 18–12 team, which marked an eighth straight year with a .500 or above record for the Musketeers.

The Musketeers start off with a very tough nonconference schedule before BIG EAST play starts, going on the road for 15 matches to start the season.

NOTEWORTHY: Abbey Bessler, the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year, will look to improve upon a very impressive junior season in which she ranked No. 5 in the conference in points (4.19 p/s), No. 4 in kills (3.72 k/s), and No. 9 in digs (3.41 d/s). Bessler was joined on the All-BIG EAST First Team by junior Kristen Massa, while senior Sofia Peterson was named to the all-conference second team.

NOTEWORTHY: Xavier finished the regular season last season with a pair of wins, defeating rival Dayton before beating Butler on Senior Day.

WOMEN’S COACH: Doug Matthews (Xavier ’09), second season OUTLOOK: Xavier added a pair of newcomers to a core of five returnees to last season’s BIG EAST Championship winning squad. Among the returning players is senior Sydney Liggins, the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year and the 2016 BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Player.

Senior Jeremy Schneider focuses during the Greater Cincinnati Invitational at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason.

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POST GAME INTERVIEW

SONG AND DANCE MAN

WKRC-TV reporter/ anchor Bob Herzog, a 1996 Xavier graduate who also has a law degree from Northern Kentucky University, says he tried out for the Musketeers men’s basketball team wanting to be the basketball version of “Rudy.”

HAVING HIS NAME ON THE PIZZA ATM? HMMM. THAT WOULD WORK FOR BOB HERZOG.

Favorite memory as a Xavier student? Walk-on

worker. Loved that. Favorite coach? I loved Gillen and

tryouts for the basketball team my freshman year. I thought maybe I could be that guy at the end of the bench who never played. At one point a ball goes flying out of bounds. I valiantly dive to save it. I don’t. I land—I’m on the skins team—and get a floor burn from armpit to hip. As I rise, Coach Prosser [Coach Gillen’s assistant at the time] smacks me on the back and says, “Nice hustle, son.” It was the pinnacle of my basketball career. I was not, however, invited back. How did Xavier impact you most? I started there on a course for medical school. When I realized that wasn’t the path for me, Xavier really provided the outlets I needed to find my way.

Prosser. Coach Mack is doing something special right now, though. My son, Danny, goes to his camps in the summer and loves it. Really tough to choose. Coach or players

Cathy Springfield, the theater professor at Xavier when I was there, gave me guidance and opportunities she really didn’t have to give me. What

made you attend Xavier?

Truthfully, I wasn’t ready to leave the comfy confines of the West Side. If you had

played a sport at Xavier, what would it have been?

Hoops. No question. Favorite XU player of all time? There have been so many greats: Byron Larkin. Jamal Walker.

Tyrone Hill. Brian Grant.

James Posey. David West. But I always liked Derek Strong.

He was just a hustle guy. Hard

Ha! My door is always open.

I’d be happy just to get the Blob. Why did you choose TV over law? In my heart I’m a storyteller. It’s just what I’m supposed to be. How corny does that sound?

What if you could act full time? No one called when they were casting Anakin Skywalker. And they’ve now remade MacGyver without so much as screen testing me! I’m not sure I have many options left. I feel very fortunate to still have a little fun from time to time on stage at the Taft with The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. Disney villains are just my speed. Broadway

P H OT O G R A P H B Y G L E N N H A R T O N G

Memorable professor?

you’d have wanted to have on Dance Party Friday?

show you’d like to appear in? If I could actually dance, Newsies would be a blast. If I could sing, Les Mis, just because. What Xavier

building would you want your name on? What about a little nameplate near the new pizza ATM? I’d be good with that.

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What’s your Healthy

–FACTOR?

This partnership is one of the ways Interact for Health is building healthy communities for everyone. We serve as a catalyst for health and wellness, by promoting healthy living through grants, education, research, policy and engagement. Our vision is to make the Greater Cincinnati region the healthiest in the country.

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Interact for Health is proud to partner with the Xavier Musketeers to inspire area kids to be active and eat healthy foods. Together we are challenging thousands of school-aged children to make healthy choices in their everyday lives and find their Healthy X-Factor.