The Total Person Graduating Every Men’S Basketball Senior Since 1986
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE TOTAL PERSON GRADUATING EVERY MEN’S BASKETBALL SENIOR SINCE 1986 Xavier University has earned a reputation for student-athlete academic success. Every senior student-athlete in the men’s basketball program, including Matt Stainbrook (seen here at his graduation with Xavier University President Michael J. Graham, S.J.), has graduated for the last 30 school years. That streak began in the 1985-86 school year. Xavier makes a promise to each student it recruits. That’s a promise XU keeps and celebrates every May at graduation. 4 PLAYERS WHO COMPLETED THEIR % THAT XAVIER’S GRADUATION STREAK ELIGIBILITY GRADUATED 1986 6 100% 1987 NO SENIORS 1988 4 100% 1989 2 100% 1990 4 100% 1991 3 100% 1992 NO SENIORS 1993 6 100% 1994 4 100% 1995 5 100% 1996 1 100% 1997 4 100% 1998 4 100% 1999 4 100% 2000 1 100% 2001 3 100% 2002 3 100% 2003 3 100% 2004 3 100% 2005 1 100% 2006 5 100% 2007 4 100% 2008 3 100% 2009 3 100% 2010 1 100% 2011 6 100% 2012 5 100% 2013 3 100% 2014 3 100% 2015 2 100% SINCE 1986 96 100% SISTER ROSE ANN FLEMING XAVIER ATHLETIC HALL OF FAMER Since she became Xavier’s academic advisor in 1985, Sr. Rose Ann Fleming (seen here with 2010 graduate Jason Love) has helped every men’s basketball player who has reached his final year of athletic eligibility to graduate. A book has been written about her, “Out of Habit.” Last season her “retired jersey” banner was hung at Cintas Center. 5 TORRAYE BRAGGS CLASS OF 1998 DERRICK BROWN CLASS OF 2009 LIONEL CHALMERS CLASS OF 2004 SEMAJ CHRISTON CLASS OF 2014 JORDAN CRAWFORD CLASS OF 2010 BRIAN GRANT CLASS OF 1994 MICHAEL HAWKINS CLASS OF 1995 TYRONE HILL CLASS OF 1990 STAN KIMBROUGH CLASS OF 1989 JAMES POSEY CLASS OF 1999 ROMAIN SATO CLASS OF 2004 DEREK STRONG CLASS OF 1990 LARRY SYKES CLASS OF 1995 DAVID WEST CLASS OF 2003 AARON WILLIAMS CLASS OF 1993 DAVID YOUNG CLASS OF 2004 XAVIER’S NBA TRADITION DECADES OF SUCCESS AT THE NEXT LEVEL Xavier’s success in developing NBA players is undeniable. From All-Stars to World Champions to recipients of the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, Xavier’s NBA roots continue to grow deeper. Over the last several seasons, representatives of nearly every NBA team visited the Xavier campus for either a practice or a game. 6 2003 NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2003 SENIOR CLASS AWARD 2000’S COLLEGIATE ALL-DECADE TEAM DAVID J.J. SHANE JASON EMEKA WEST REDDICK BATTIER WILLIAMS OKAFOR DAVID WEST TWO-TIME NBA ALL STAR, 2003 NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR David West, 2003 National Player of the Year as a Xavier senior and a 2003 XU graduate, was named to the 2008 and 2009 NBA Western Conference All-Star Team as a member of the New Orleans Hornets. West helped the Hornets win their first-ever division title in 2008. West, who was inducted into the Xavier University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010, was named the 2003 NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) Pete Newell Big Man of the Year and won the 2003 Senior CLASS Award, a prestigious award that honors seniors who excel in the areas of community involvement, the classroom, character/leadership and competition. He signed with San Antonio for the 2015-16 season. 7 JAMES POSEY “Xavier taught me a lot about winning championships. That winning Xavier attitude served me well during my NBA career.” JAMES POSEY TWO-TIME NBA WORLD CHAMPION James Posey, a 1999 Xavier University graduate who is currently a Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach, won the second of his two NBA Championships as a player with Boston in the 2007-08 season with teammates Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Posey played a key role on defense and made some big shots in the 2008 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Posey won his first NBA Championship in the 2005-06 season as a part of the Miami Heat, playing alongside Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. 8 REGGIE MILLER “In football at Penn State you have ‘Linebacker University’, at USC you have ‘Running Back University’... at Xavier you have ‘Power Forward University’.“ POWER FORWARD UNIVERSITY XAVIER’S NBA ALUMNI Reggie Miller is not the only NBA expert that has recognized the impressive track record of Xavier in producing NBA power forwards. Players like David West not only make the league but stick around for long and successful careers. Tyrone Hill (far left) played 14 NBA seasons, Aaron Williams (second from left) logged 14 NBA seasons, Brian Grant (seen on page 125) played 13 NBA seasons, while Derek Strong (second from right) played 10 seasons in the NBA. The power forward list goes on and on and, in addition to West, includes former NBA players like Derrick Brown (seen above far right) and James Posey (seen on page 8). 9 SUCCESS AT HOME AND ABROAD XAVIER FAMILY MAKING AN IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD Xavier’s basketball program produces success stories around the world, including Semaj Christon (pictured above), who signed this year to play in Italy. In addition to the long list of NBA players, Xavier has had numerous graduates go on to successful professional basketball careers overseas. Romain Sato, 2010 Italian League MVP who won two Italian League Championships with his Italian professional team, later played with Panathinaikos in Athens, Greece, for two seasons and helped his team win the 2011 Euroleague Championship. Pictured here are Sato, a 2004 Xavier graduate and Xavier Athletic Hall of Famer, and Justin Doellman, a 2007 Xavier graduate, who won the 2014 Eurocup Championship playing together for Valencia Basket. Doellman was named MVP. The long list of recent graduates that have been playing overseas most recently are pictured on the next page. 10 ARCTIC OCEAN Derrick Brown (‘09) Stanley Burrell (’08) Justin Cage (’07) Lionel Chalmers (’04) Semaj Christon (‘14) Brandon Cole (’07) Jordan Crawford (’10) Justin Doellman (’07) Turkey Israel Belgium France Italy Kuwait China Spain Josh Duncan (’08) Kenny Frease (’12) Tu Holloway (’12) Jason Love (’10) Mark Lyons (’12) Jamel McLean (’11) Isaiah Philmore (‘14) B.J. Raymond (’09) NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN Israel Germany Puerto Rico Israel Israel Italy Germany Italy NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN Romain Sato (’04) Matt Stainbrook (‘15) Travis Taylor (’13) Spain Germany France WORLDWIDE REACH 19 FORMER PLAYERS ON FOREIGN PRO ROSTERS The year after each player is the last year he played at Xavier. All players have their college degrees except Crawford, who was a 2010 first round NBA Draft choice following his sophomore year and Christon, who was a 2014 NBA Draft second round choice following his sophomore year. The country listed is the latest country where he has signed to play. Crawford (Chicago) and Holloway (Dallas) were on preseason NBA rosters at press time. 11 INDIAN OCEAN SOUTH PACIFIC SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN OCEAN SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN JULY - SEPTEMBER 2011 NCAA SWEET 16 APPEARANCES (since 2008) Xavier is one of only nine schools that have been to at least five NCAA Tournament Sweet 16’s over the last eight years: Xavier, Michigan State, Kansas, Louisville, Duke, Arizona, UNC, Wisconsin and Kentucky 2015 SWEET SIXTEEN XAVIER’S TRADITION OF DEEP MARCH RUNS Xavier is one of only nine schools that have been to at least five NCAA Tournament Sweet 16s over the last eight years. Michigan State is at seven, Louisville is at six, while Xavier, Duke, North Carolina, Arizona, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Kansas are at five. Xavier’s five times reaching at least the Sweet 16 over the last eight years are 2015, 2012, 2010, 2009 and the Elite Eight in 2008. XU has reached at least the Sweet 16 seven times. XU first reached the Sweet 16 in 1990 and first reached the Elite Eight in 2004. 12 A MARCH TRADITION ONLY 11 SCHOOLS HAVE MADE 9 OF THE LAST 10 NCAA TOURNAMENTS Xavier has made nine of the last 10 NCAA Tournaments and 13 of the last 15. Only 11 schools have been to at least nine NCAA Tournaments in the last 10 years: Duke, Kansas, Gonzaga, Michigan State and Wisconsin are at 10, while Xavier, Texas, North Carolina, Villanova, Ohio State and Louisville are at nine. XU made Sweet 16 runs in 2015, 2012, 2010 and 2009. XU made it past the Sweet 16 to the Elite Eight in 2004 and 2008. The postseason tradition goes back further as XU has made 28 appearances in postseason play over the last 33 years, including 24 NCAA Tournaments. 13 RETIRED NUMBERS WIN PERCENTAGE - 25 YEAR TOTALS RK.AM TE WON LOST PCT. 1. KANSAS 721 162 .817 2. DUKE 718 165 .813 3. KENTUCKY 698 184 .791 4. GONZAGA 622 191 .765 5. ARIZONA 614 207 .748 6. NORTH CAROLINA 656 223 .746 7. SYRACUSE 623 225 .735 8. CONNECTICUT 621 225 .734 9. MURRAY STATE 555 230 .707 10. CINCINNATI 585 244 .706 11. MICHIGAN STATE 593 249 .704 12. XAVIER 563 242 .699 UCLA 577 248 .699 14. COL. OF CHARLESTON 532 239 .690 15. LOUISVILLE 580 265 .686 16. FLORIDA 571 266 .682 BUTLER 548 256 .682 18. MEMPHIS 542 256 .679 19. UTAH STATE 537 255 .678 20. TEXAS 562 271 .675 21. OKLAHOMA STATE 552 269 .672 22. NEW MEXICO 538 268 .667 23. UNLV 525 266 .664 24. STANFORD 534 271 .663 UTAH 537 273 .663 WISCONSIN 540 275 .663 UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS WINNING TRADITION FEW PROGRAMS CAN MATCH Xavier’s winning percentage over the past 25 years is ranked tied for 12th in the nation at .699.