Xavier Musketeers men's basketball

Infobox CBB Team
name = Xavier Musketeers

logo_size = 150px
university = Xavier University (Cincinnati)|Xavier University
conference = Atlantic 10 Conference
conference_short = A-10
division = West
city = Cincinnati
stateabb = OH
state = Ohio
coach = Sean Miller
tenure = 4th
arena = Cintas Center
capacity = 10,250
nickname = Musketeers
color1 = Blue
color2 = White
hex1 = 003082
hex2 = FFFFFF
NCAAchampion =
NCAAfinalfour =
NCAAeliteeight = 2004, 2008
NCAAsweetsixteen = 1990, 2004, 2008
NCAAsecondround = 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008
NCAAtourneys = 1961, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
conference_tournament = 1983 ,1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991 ,1998, 2002, 2004, 2006
conference_season = 1981, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008

The Xavier Musketeers team is the basketball team that represents Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school's team currently competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2008. The Musketeers are currently coached by Sean Miller.

History

Xavier first appearance in post season play came in 1948 when Xavier finished in 4th place, losing to Hamline University in the National 3rd Place Game 58-59. In 1958, Xavier won the NIT Tournament. This was the first National Championship by any Ohio Division I school.

Since then, the Musketeers have been A-10 Tournament Champs 4 times (1997-98, 2001-02, 2003-04, 2005-06), and appeared in the NCAA Tournament 19 times, including two appearances in the Elite Eight (2003-04, 2007-2008). They are the only non-BCS school to be listed among the top 20 most valuable basketball programs [ [http://www.forbes.com/sportsbusiness/2007/12/27/college-basketball-valuations-biz-sports_cz_js_0102basketball.html The Most Valuable College Basketball Teams - Forbes.com ] ] .

Rivalries

Xavier's main rival is the Cincinnati Bearcats. The two schools play annually in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. Xavier has won 27 Shootouts, while Cincinnati has won 47.

Xavier and Dayton play for the Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy, named for former coaches at the respective universities. The Musketeers have won 30 of the past 39 meetings meetings with Dayton; including 15 of the last 18 and 6 straight. They have not lost a home game to the Flyers since 1981.

Due to close recent contests and the fact that they're both in the A-10, Xavier has built a friendly rivalry with fellow Jesuit university Saint Joseph's.

Coaches

The school has a history of producing quality coaches. Among these include: Thad Matta (Ohio State), Bob Staak (formerly of Wake Forest), Skip Prosser (formerly of Wake Forest), Pete Gillen (formerly of Providence College and The University of Virginia).

The current coach, Sean Miller, is a former assistant coach at North Carolina State University. The 1992 Pittsburgh graduate is considered one of the better point guards in Big East history. He was 1988 Big East Freshman of the year and is Pitt's all time assist and free throw percentage leader.

NCAA Tournament Results

The Musketeers have appeared in 19 NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 15-19.

=Musketeers in the NBA=

Several Xavier alumni have gone on to play in the NBA, such as:
*Lionel Chalmers
*Brian Grant
*Tyrone Hill
*James Posey
*Romain Sato
*Derek Strong
*David West
*Aaron Williams
*Michael HawkinsOther famous Musketeers include: Hank Stein, Steve Thomas, Lenny Brown, Gary Lumpkin, Tommy Simms, Stanley Burrell, Drew Lavender, Justin Cage, Justin Doellman, Josh Duncan

Retired Jerseys

*23 Byron Larkin
*30 David West
*42 Tyrone HillFormer university President Fr. James Hoff has also had a "jersey" retired in memory of all that he contributed to the school and basketball program. This was unveiled before a 2004 meeting with Creighton (whom Hoff also served as President for). Fr. Hoff died from cancer in 2004.

ee also

*Xavier University (Cincinnati)

References

* [http://www.xavierhoops.com/ XavierHoops.com - Xavier Basketball Forum & Message Board]
* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/colleges/xavier.html List of NBA Players from Xavier]
* [http://goxavier.cstv.com/ Xavier Athletics website]