11 OF LAST 12 NCAA TOURNAMENTS • GOXAVIER.COM 173 GRAHAM/KUCIA FATHER MICHAEL J. DR. JOHN F. GRAHAM, S.J. KUCIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT | 17TH YEAR ADMINISTRATIVE VICE PRESIDENT CORNELL COLLEGE ‘75 34TH YEAR CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA XAVIER ‘69 , OHIO

In 2017 Michael J. Graham, S.J. was asked to chair the Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Graham entered the Society Dr. John F. Kucia is administrative vice president and the principal assis- Cincinnati Preschool Promise Board of Directors, a voter of Jesus in 1978 and was ordained a priest in 1988. He tant to Xavier President Michael J. Graham, S.J. Kucia oversees Xavier’s approved initiative to insure that quality preschool is avail- earned a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University Intercollegiate Athletic Program, the , Property Acquisition, able and affordable to all children living within the Cincin- of Michigan in 1983 and also holds degrees in philosophy Human Resources, Community Building Institute, Government Relations nati school district. and psychology. Graham came to Xavier in 1984 when he and University Marketing and Communications. joined the Xavier faculty as an Assistant Professor of His- The impact of Graham’s academic and community-based tory. He left Xavier to pursue his Master of Divinity from Kucia has spent nearly 40 years as a practitioner of collaborative leader- vision is far reaching. Xavier has been listed among the na- the Weston School of Theology, which he earned in 1988. ship in the fields of health care and higher education, specifically in the tion’s top 10 Midwest Universities by U.S. News & World areas of strategic planning, leadership development and training, organi- Report, since Graham began his presidency. Academic pro- In 1989, Graham returned to Xavier and in 1994, was ap- zational change, intercollegiate athletics, property acquisition and urban grams established under Graham’s leadership include mas- pointed Vice President for University Relations. In 1999, redevelopment. He has drawn upon his extensive experience to research ter’s programs in Coaching Education and Athlete Devel- he became the Executive Assistant to the President. Dur- the unique and unstudied topic of “the way leaders think, developing the opment, Health Economic and Clinical Outcomes Research ing these tenures, he oversaw a broad range of University premise that leaders are built from the inside out.” Dr. Kucia and co-author and Customer Analytics. activities including a $125 million capital campaign, at that Dr. Linda Gravett, wrote the book Leadership in Balance: New Habits of time the most successful fundraising campaign in Xavier’s the Mind which was published by Palgrave Macmillan in April 2014. Their His passion to connect and collaborate with local and re- history. website is www.leadershipinbalance.com. gional communities inspired him to establish the Commu- nity Building Institute as well as the Eigel Center for Com- As a parish priest active at both Good Shepherd Catholic Kucia earned a bachelor’s degree in political science (1969) and a master’s munity Engagement at Xavier. The Edward B. Brueggeman Church in suburban Cincinnati and with Xavier student degree in guidance and counseling (1972) from Xavier and a doctorate in Center for Dialogue was also established during Graham’s groups, Graham carries out his Jesuit pastoral activities as higher education management (2004) from the University of Pennsylvania. tenure and positions Xavier as a pre-eminent place for in- a celebrant for weddings, baptisms and retreats as well as terreligious discourse, thought and action. Xavier’s part- weekly Sunday worship. Kucia was named director for alumni relations in 1984, assistant to the nership with the cities of Norwood and Cincinnati resulted president in 1986 and a University vice president in 1990. Kucia and his in University Station, a mixed-use development with a goal In addition to Cincinnati Preschool Promise, Graham cur- wife Mary (M.Ed. ’76) have five children: Kristin (’91), John (’93), Peter (’95) to revitalize the surrounding community. Likewise, Xavier’s rently serves on the Center for the Holocaust and Humani- and twins Emily (’02) and Ellen (Loyola, Chicago ’02) and 12 grandchildren. current affiliation with TriHealth will bring a multi-use- aca ty Education, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universi- demic and recreation facility to campus in the near future. ties, Gonzaga University in Spokane, St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati and is Chair of the Association of Jesuit Col- Graham’s initiative to strengthen Xavier’s Jesuit heritage leges and Universities (AJCU) Board of Directors. and spirituality can be found in the Ruth J. and Robert A. Conway Institute for Jesuit Education, which assists- fac ulty in transforming students, and in numerous programs based in the Center for Mission and Identity that engage faculty and staff in Jesuit heritage and values.

Graham’s passion for Xavier is 24/7. He lives on campus in a residence hall where he frequently invites his ‘hall-mates’ to dinner and presides over the 10 p.m. Sunday Mass, one of the most popular student gatherings on campus.

174 SIX SWEET 16s IN LAST 10 YEARS • @XAVIERMBB GREG CHRISTOPHER

GREG CHRISTOPHER DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS | FIFTH YEAR MIAMI UNIVERSITY ‘88 WEST LAFAYETTE, IND.

Greg Christopher began as Xavier’s new Direc- Christopher, who spent the previous six-and-a-half Miami University in 1988 and earned his MBA from tor of Athletics in May of 2013, taking over just as years as the Director of Athletics at Bowling Green Miami in 1991. A former linebacker, he played foot- Xavier was preparing for its first season in the BIG State University, is the 11th athletic director in Xavi- ball for one season before his career was cut short EAST Conference. Christopher oversees Xavier’s 18 er history. Christopher oversaw 18 sports at BGSU, due to injury. While at Miami, Christopher was also intercollegiate athletic programs and 300 student- which is a member of the Mid-American Confer- involved as a television and radio color commentator athletes. ence (MAC) and Western College Hockey Association for football and play-by-play voice for hockey. (WCHA). Christopher, who took over this year as the chair of Christopher went to Bowling Green the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions, also served as from Purdue University, where he chair of the BIG EAST’s Long-Range Planning Com- worked from 1997-2006 as Associate mittee, the working group that put together the A.D. for External Relations and John league’s first strategic plan. While at Bowling Green, Purdue Club Director. He was account- Christopher completed a four-year term on the able for external and revenue-related NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship areas at Purdue. Committee in 2012, and served as chairman of the committee in his final year. Christopher served as Executive Direc- tor for the Society of Professional Jour- A native of West Lafayette, Ind., Christopher is mar- nalists in Greencastle, Ind., from 1994 ried to the former Tina Smith of Leetonia, Ohio. Tina to 1997 after joining the organization taught high school English at St. Ursula Academy in in 1991 as its Marketing and Develop- Toledo. Also a 1988 graduate of Miami, Tina received ment Director. Prior to working with her bachelor’s degree in Education and earned her SPJ, Christopher worked with Eure Master’s in Guidance and Counseling in 1995 from Communications and WCHV/WWWV Butler University. Greg and Tina have a son, Zachary in Charlottesville, Va., from 1988-90. In and two daughters, Megan and Allison. Megan is a that capacity, he managed and sold sta- sophomore on the Xavier women’s basketball team. tion promotions, including partnerships with the athletics program at the Uni- versity of Virginia. He also worked with the page program at NBC in New York in 1988 where he served as a research analyst.

Christopher earned a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from nearby 11 OF LAST 12 NCAA TOURNAMENTS • GOXAVIER.COM 175 MUSKETEER TRADITION AND MASCOTS Why Musketeers?

The Tradition Among the first students at Xavier in the decade of the 1830’s were French-speaking young men from Louisiana The Musketeer concept was based on the suggestion of who were forbidden by the college regulations to use the late Reverend Francis J. Finn, S.J., a member of the their family tongue during recreation lest they fail to Xavier University Board of Trustees for many years until learn the English language. his death in 1928. In response to a directive from the Trustees, Father Finn proposed the name Musketeers in 1925. It was adopted and has been a Xavier designation The first Jesuit Priest of Xavier, in 1840, was Father John ever since. Anthony Elet, a native of the French-speaking provinces of Belgium. In naming the Musketeers, Father Finn was not only giving rebirth to a concept of chivalry that is among The great patron of the University, St. Francis Xavier, a France’s most treasured traditions, but he was also native of Spain, received his university education at the providing permanent recognition to Xavier’s strong ties College of St. Barbe at the University of Paris and he with French origins and culture. helped found the Jesuit Order in Paris in 1540.

The first priest, and one of the first Europeans to navi- So, as Father Finn reasoned, the Musketeer, a dedicated gate the Ohio River past the site that was to become Cin- guard of the King of France, was a fine symbol of the cinnati, was a Jesuit from French Canada named the Rev. qualities that should inspire the students and particu- Joseph Pierre de Bonnecamps. He was a scientist and larly the athletic teams at Xavier University. mathematician from the College of Quebec who made the trip in 1749. Numerous historical accounts credit him with creating the first map of Ohio’s boundaries.

Xavier Mascots D’Artagnan serves as the official mascot of the Xavier University athletic teams. The legendary mascot has gone through many changes over the years, but his powerful presence remained when the most recent version of the Musketeer was unveiled at the start of the 2004-05 basketball season.

The Blue Blob serves as a secondary mascot for the Xavier University athletic teams. The Blob is well known for being able to excite the crowd and is a favorite among the younger Musketeer fans. The Blue Blob has even been featured on SportsCenter, including a main role in a series of ESPN SportsCenter commercials. He is also a hit with the Junior Musketeers Club.

176 SIX SWEET 16s IN LAST 10 YEARS • @XAVIERMBB ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS/MEDIA INFORMATION

Tom Eiser Contact Information: TOM Office: 513-745-3124 Cell: 513-382-5565 EISER Fax: 513-745-2825 ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR E-Mail: [email protected] FOR COMMUNICATIONS Twitter: @EiserXUSports 32ND YEAR Men’s Basketball: XAVIER ‘84 Twitter: @XavierMBB Instagram: @XavierMBB CINCINNATI, OHIO

Tom Eiser, Xavier Associate Athletic Director Final Four and preliminary round NCAA bas- for Communications, is in his 32nd year as ketball competition. the media contact for the nationally-ranked men’s basketball program. Eiser, who was Eiser worked in radio news and sports be- honored in 2015 with the Sports Executive fore accepting his first full-time job in the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Cin- athletics field as the Assistant SID at the cinnati Sports Professional Network, began University of Detroit in 1985. He received working with the Xavier men’s basketball several awards from the Society of Profes- team in 1986 and has worked with five head sional Journalist for his radio news report- coaches and promoted the team through ing. He also has done freelance reporting each of its last 24 NCAA Tournament sea- for a variety of media, including Associated sons. Three of his recent men’s basketball Press and National Public Radio. media guides were voted in the top two in the nation, including “Best in the Nation” by Eiser is an active member of the College Greg Lautzenheiser Brendan Bergen Assistant Director of Athletic Communications CoSIDA in 2010-11 and “Second-Best in the Sports Information Directors of Ameri- Athletic Communications Coordinator Nation” for 2012-13 and 2016-17. ca, the United States Basketball Writers Association and the Public Relations Society Eiser’s primary responsibilities at Xavier of America. He has served as Chair of the involve directing the Athletic Communica- CoSIDA I-AAA University Management Com- tions Office, which handles communications, mittee, and serves on the BIG EAST Confer- media relations, broadcast production, web ence Academic Affairs Committee and the site, social media, publicity, publications, re- Marketing Team in cord-keeping and research for his alma ma- addition to serving many times as a present- ter’s 18 NCAA Division I sports. In addition, er at the annual CoSIDA/NACDA Convention. he is the sport administrator for men’s and women’s cross country and track and field The native Cincinnatian, a 1984 graduate of and is the Chair of the Xavier Athletic Hall of Xavier University with a bachelor’s degree Fame Selection Committee. in English, studied British Media in the sum- mer of 1984 at the University of Manchester. Outside of Xavier, Eiser has worked as Eiser completed work in 2011 on a master’s Hayley Schletker a media specialist for men’s and wom- degree in educational administration at Athletic Communications en’s FIFA World Cup competition in Xavier. He resides in his hometown. Messaging Assistant addition to a long list of men’s and women’s

11 OF LAST 12 NCAA TOURNAMENTS • GOXAVIER.COM 177 CINTAS CENTER AND THE MEDIA MEDIA GUIDELINES PRIMARY LOCAL MEDIA (Twitter handles) WEB SITE: TO THE MEDIA: This guide has been prepared to assist you in your coverage of the 2017-18 Xavier Musketeer basketball team. Let the Athletic Communications staff know if you need additional materials or information. Updated statistics, MusketeerReport.com (Scout.com) game notes and more are available at GoXavier.com, the official Xavier Athletics web site. Call Tom Eiser at 513-745-3124 Site Publisher: Rick Broering (@RickBroering) (office) or 513-382-5565 (cell) with questions, interview and pass requests or additional needs. WIRE SERVICE Associated Press • 312 Elm Street, Cincinnati 45202 PRESS, PHOTO & SCOUT PASSES: All requests for press, photo and scout passes must be made through Tom Eiser. Passes Reporter: Joe Kay (@apjoekay) will be left at the press entrance on the north side (loading dock) of the Cintas Center. NEWSPAPERS SERVICES AT GAMES: Information and statistics will be available in the press room. Refreshments and a pre-game meal Cincinnati Enquirer (AM Daily, including Sat. & Sun.) are also available in the press room. 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202 • 513-768-8438 XU Beat Writer: Patrick Brennan (@PBrennanENQ) POST-GAME INTERVIEW PROCEDURE: Depending on media demand, the visiting coach will be brought into the press/ Columnist: Paul Daugherty (@EnquirerDoc) interview room after the post-game “cooling off” period. After every game selected Xavier players and head coach Chris Sports Editor: Jason Hoffman (@JHoffinCincy) Mack will conduct interviews in the press/interview room. Please direct all Xavier procedural questions to Tom Eiser. Visit- cincinnati.com ing team interview requests should be made through the visiting team’s media contact. Xavier Newswire (Weekly) Sports Editor: Luke Feliciano • xaviernewswire.com CINTAS CENTER TELEVISION WCPO-TV 9 (ABC) • 1720 Gilbert Ave., Cincinnati 45202 John Popovich (@Popo_WCPOSports) Address: Cintas Center is located at 1624 Herald Av- Keenan Singleton (@KJMSingleton) enue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45207. Ken Broo (@kenbroo) WCPO.com reporter: Shannon Russell (@slrussell) www.wcpo.com Athletic Department: To reach the Siemers Fam- ily Athletic Office Suite, including the athletic- com WLWT-TV 5 (NBC) • 1700 Young St., Cincinnati 45202 munications and basketball offices, guests must George Vogel (@vogel_wlwt) enter through the Schiff Family Conference Center Elise Jesse (@EliseJesseWLWT) Derek Forrest (@DerekWLWT) Entrance. Take a left when you enter the building Mark Slaughter (@MarkVSlaughter) and the athletic offices are straight down the hall. www.wlwt.com Media and Team Entrance: Check in at the loading WKRC-TV 12 (CBS) • 1906 Highland Ave., Cincinnati 45219 dock area, which is located on the North side of the Gary Miller (@Local12Gary) Cintas Center. Aly Cohen (@alyco32) Kevin Barnett (@KBarnett15) Richard Skinner (@Local12Skinny) Media Parking: Media with parking passes should www.local12.com park in designated areas. All other media/scouts must park in general access lots. WXIX-TV 19 (FOX) • 635 West 7th St., Cincinnati 45203 Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) TV Coverage: Parking for the broadcast/produc- Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) www.fox19.com tion truck(s) is in the loading dock area. TV news/ sports crews using “live shot” ENG vehicles must RADIO park on the East side of the building next to the 700 WLW AM, 55KRC AM and ESPN 1530 AM entrance of the Schiff Conference Center, which is 8044 Montgomery Rd., Suite 650, where the plug in is located. TV coverage (broad- Cincinnati 45236 • 513-686-8300 WLW Sports Director: Bill Dennison (@seg700wlw) casts or “live shots”) and the reservation of park- Talk Show Hosts: Lance McAlister (@LanceMcAlister) ing space must be cleared in advance through and Mo Egger (@MoEgger1530) Tom Eiser, who will put the crew in touch with the WLW Dir. of Sports Programming: Dave Armbruster appropriate Cintas Center personnel. www.700wlw.com

178 SIX SWEET 16s IN LAST 10 YEARS • @XAVIERMBB TV/RADIO/WEB

XAVIER ON RADIO All Regular Season XAVIER IS A NATIONAL LEADER And Postseason Games Three of Xavier’s recent men’s basketball media Will Be Televised guides were voted in the top two in the nation, in- cluding “Best in the Nation” in 2010-11. The 2016-17 Nov. 10...... Morehead State...... FSN TBD and the 2012-13 editions of the media guide were Nov. 13...... Rider...... FS1 Nov. 16...... at Wisconsin...... FS1 selected “Second-Best in the Nation” for all of NCAA Nov. 20...... Hampton...... FS1 Division I by a panel of media and design judges on Nov. 23...... George Washington...... FS1 behalf of CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Nov. 24...... Kansas State/Arizona State...... FOX/FS1 Directors of America. Michigan State earned the Nov. 28 ...... Baylor...... FS1 top spot in 2017 followed by Xavier, Kentucky and Dec. 2...... Cincinnati...... FS1 Kansas State. Clemson was selected first in 2013 Dec. 6...... Kent State...... FS1 Dec. 9 ...... Colorado...... FS1 followed by Xavier and Kansas. Xavier’s 2010-11 edi- Dec. 16...... East Tennessee State...... FSN TBD tion was selected as the “Best in the Nation” followed The popular Xavier radio tandem of Joe Dec. 19 ...... Marshall...... FS1 by Kansas State, Oklahoma and West Virginia. Sunderman (XU ‘79) and Byron Larkin (XU ‘88) Dec. 22 ...... at Northern Iowa...... CBS Sports Network is back for a 20th straight season. They can be Dec. 27 ...... at Marquette...... FS1 heard all season on 700 WLW and 55KRC with Dec. 30...... DePaul...... FS1 pre-game and post-game shows in addition Jan. 2...... Butler...... FS1 Jan. 6...... at Providence...... FOX to every regular season and postseason game Jan. 10...... at Villanova...... FS1 broadcast. Sunderman and Larkin, who are both Jan. 13...... Creighton...... FOX members of the Xavier Athletic Hall of Fame, also Jan. 17...... St. John’s...... CBS Sports Network host the weekly Chris Mack Show, which airs live Jan. 20...... at Seton Hall...... FOX weekly from Delicio near the Xavier campus Jan. 24...... Marquette...... FS1 Jan. 30...... at St. John’s...... CBS Sports Network on 1530 ESPN and/or 55KRC and can also be Feb. 3...... Georgetown...... CBS Sports Network heard on iHeart Radio. The radio schedule is at Feb. 6...... at Butler...... FS1 GoXavier.com. The Larkin/Sunderman broadcast Feb. 10...... at Creighton...... FOX tandem has been together since the 1998-99 sea- Feb. 14...... Seton Hall...... FS1 son. Sunderman has been a part of the broadcast Feb. 17...... Villanova...... FOX team for over a quarter of a century. Feb. 21...... at Georgetown...... FSN TBD Feb. 28...... Providence...... FS1 Mar. 3...... at DePaul...... FSN TBD Xavier basketball radio broadcasts and coach’s Mar. 7-10 ... BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP ...... FOX/FS1 show are productions of Xavier Sports Properties, a property of Learfield Sports. XSP is the exclusive multimedia rights holder for Xavier Athletics.

Xavier Hall of Famers Byron Larkin and Joe Sunderman

11 OF LAST 12 NCAA TOURNAMENTS • GOXAVIER.COM 179 XAVIER UNIVERSITY – ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

• Xavier’s 6,798 students choose from 90 undergraduate • Xavier’s student/faculty ratio is 12:1, and 41 percent of • Xavier offers international study opportunities in 33 majors in three colleges, 66 minors, 42 master’s classes have fewer than 20 students. countries. programs and three doctoral programs. • U.S. News & World Report has ranked Xavier among the • Kiplinger’s Personal Finance lists Xavier as a “Best Value” • Xavier’s undergraduate enrollment is 4,645 (46.5 top 10 Midwest Master’s colleges and universities for 23 among private college and universities for combining percent male; 55.5 percent female). The Xavier Class of consecutive years, including No. 5 in the latest issue. XU outstanding education with economic value. 2021 is the second largest in history. is ranked among “The Best 382 Colleges in America” by The Princeton Review. • Xavier’s nationally-renowned Community-Engaged • Xavier’s student body is drawn from 48 states as well as Fellows program offers a four-year scholarship that 47 foreign countries. • Xavier is in the Forbes listing of “America’s Top Colleges” covers 75 percent of tuition costs to eight incoming in its annual rankings for 2017. students who have shown extraordinary leadership, • Xavier has more than 20 religions represented on initiative in community engagement or service and high campus; 48 percent of all students are Roman Catholic. • Xavier’s Williams College of Business is rated among the academic achievement. “Best U.S. Business Schools” by The Princeton Review. CINCINNATI

HOME OF XAVIER UNIVERSITY 2017 ELITE EIGHT | 2008 ELITE EIGHT TWO ELITE EIGHT APPEARANCES IN THE LAST 10 YEARS

SIX SWEET 16 APPEARANCES IN THE LAST 10 YEARS 2017 | 2015 | 2012 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008

FOUR STRAIGHT NCAA TOURNAMENTS 11 OF THE LAST 12 NCAA TOURNAMENTS